Miss Ever After
by SixFoldDimension
Summary: Ten girls; one title. This story is a cat fight waiting to happen.
1. Missing Ever After

Miss Ever After.

It was an old school tradition competed by all the eligible and willing girls in the school. The most celebrated event in Ever After High, right after Legacy Day. It meant beauty, glory, _perfection._ Winning the competition was the highest possible honor Ever After High could bestow on one of their deserving female students.

Miss Ever After.

A tradition that died almost a decade ago when the school realized that the descendants of Snow White would always win the title. Girls stopped competing when they figured out that the Snow Whites of each generation would always be better than them: more beautiful, more perfect, more worthy of the title "Miss Ever After" than they could ever be. Soon having the surname "White" would equate to being the most gorgeous and respected girl in school; she would never need to actually earn it herself.

_Everybody loved her. So pretty, so charming_... she wouldn't have to do a single thing to secure her victory. Was that all it took to be Snow White? All it meant to be Miss Ever After?

If it was, then Apple, the next successor to Snow White, knew she would cry. It would be the first thing she ever hated about her destiny.

* * *

><p>Apple White was sitting in Headmaster's office, her hands folded neatly on top of her legs as she waited for her request to be processed. The inside of the room was old-fashioned and furnished in deeply-hued woods and rich carpets. There was a large window behind the main desk, and through it Apple could see teeny birds and enormous dragons opening their mouths to sing and roar - but the entire room was soundproof. Instead, the ticking of an old grandfather clock was the only audible sound in the whole room.<p>

_Tick, tock… tick, tock._

Five minutes had passed.

"Headmaster Grimm?" Apple asked finally, after the deep silence between them had stretched long past comfort and settled firmly in the territory of awkwardness.

"Ah, yes. Apple?" Headmaster Grimm was still staring at the paper she had handed him. He was staring, yes, but not exactly _reading,_ and obviously deep in thought.

"Are you… finished?" she said. Her document had been fairly short, in her opinion; it would have taken her no longer than a minute to read the whole thing twice.

"Ahem. Yes, I have." There was a pause. "Now… I understand why you would like to hold this event, my dear," Grimm started cautiously, "but there are serious… _complications_ that come with holding another Miss Ever After now that it's been so long. The event died out years ago because the Snow Whites of each generation would win the competition each year - as I'm sure you would, too, if the contests were still held," he added.

"Oh, you never know, Headmaster Grimm," she said weakly. Although Apple knew he had intended that last bit as a compliment, it was not making her feel any better about her situation. "Could we at least have the pageant still? It sounds like such a hexellent event, it would be a tragedy not to have it just because of something like that..."

Grimm made a disapproving face, but he quickly replaced it with an air of patience. "That is all and well, my dear, but it may not be possible. I am certain none of your fellow students would choose to compete against you, even if we did (for some reason) decide to hold the contest again. Nothing can be done, unfortunately."

The Headmaster had expected Apple to lower her head and acquiesce to his logical reasoning; what instead happened was that she picked her chin up, gave a little squeal of joy, and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Oh, but there is something! I _know_ other people will compete," Apple said happily. "Remember the Student Council elections? I had a competitor, and she even ended up as my co-president! I'm sure plenty of girls will want to try for Miss Ever After."

"Miss White," sighed Grimm, obviously trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, "that competitor and your current co-president was Miss Hatter, and you know as well as I that she's just... well, mad! No _sane_ young lady in this school would compete against you, surely."

"Are you certain?" she asked.

"I am certain."

There was her opening. Just one look at his face told her that Grimm was fairly confident about this point, and if she could only get him to agree to her terms out of that confidence, the contest would happen. She gathered all her acting experience and, barely suppressing her excitement, gave the line she had been saving this entire time:

"But, what if I _am_ able to get enough people to join the contest?" Apple implored, doing her best to look hesitant. "I mean, it's a fairy long shot, but... if I can somehow get enough people to want to join, can we hold Miss Ever After? Maybe?"

Headmaster Grimm continued looking stern; for a moment, Apple thought she had failed. But then he said:

"If you are able to find enough people to compete - which you most certainly will not - I will allow the contest to happen again. However, my future queen, I would highly advise you not waste your time on such fruitless tasks."

_Yes!_

"I won't be wasting my time, Headmaster!" she squeaked, overjoyed. Oops, maybe she shouldn't have looked so happy - Grimm now looked slightly apprehensive.

"Miss White," he sighed again, holding his forehead with one hand, "I won't try to stop you, but I fail to understand the meaning of all this. You are already the most revered princess in all of Ever After High, and you will soon be the queen of all Fairy Land. What, pray tell, is the point of winning this... this mere high school title?"

Apple opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. All those thoughts and feelings that had driven her to renew Miss Ever After... they had suddenly dried up into little wisps of nothing, and she found that she could not fully articulate herself.

"I..." she started. Grimm looked, well, grim as he waited for her explanation. "I want a chance to prove myself in this contest, not just have it given to me. I want my fellow students to see what I'm capable of, which - " Which she never really had the chance to show before? Apple cleared her throat and started again. "And… don't get me wrong, I _do_ want to win, but I'm not just going to bank on it. If I win the title of Miss Ever After, I want to _deserve_ it."

She took one look at Headmaster Grimm's face and saw that he didn't understand any of her feelings. Apple swallowed - that was fine, she'd already gotten the permission she'd come for.

"My dear - " he called out, but the tips of her fine blonde hair were already sweeping out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: APPLE WHITE<em>

* * *

><p>"But Briar - I <em>did<em> it! I _really_ did it!" She gushed at a bemused Briar Beauty outside in the hallway, who had unfortunately slept through the first half of Apple's frantic speech and therefore had not the slightest idea what she was now talking about.

"Hold up, Apple. Could you run the whole thing over by me again?" she asked when the blonde princess had finally stopped to catch her breath.

"Briar, w-weren't you listening at all?" Apple demanded, still taking great gulps of air.

Nope, not in the slightest. "I was listening - just missed the first bit," she said.

"I got Headmaster Grimm to hold the Miss Ever After pageant again this year! Look!" Apple shoved a colorful piece of paper into the brunette's arms. Briar held it in front of her and quickly skimmed the paper.

"Hm… mhmm… _huh."_ She grew wide-eyed, then hastily started rereading the poster from the top. "Woah. Is this for real?"

"As real as fairies and unicorns!" Apple beamed. She allowed her friend to finish reading; both of them ignored the sound of the bell signalling the beginning of first period.

"Is this the same Miss Ever After I'm think of?" Briar asked finally, her expression half-awed and half-skeptical. "The one they used to hold here years ago? I read an article about it on the MirrorNet."

"The very same," Apple confirmed proudly. "Just think about it! We'll both be able to compete in the Miss Ever After competition before we graduate! How happily ever awesome is that?"

"Both?" Briar repeated, smirking. She shook her head and handed back the flier. "I can't compete against you, Apple. You've got this in the bag for sure, just like every other Snow-White-slash-Miss-Ever-After."

Apple made a huge frown at that comment. "No, Briar, you can't say that! The only way I was able to convince Headmaster Grimm to let this happen in the first place was by saying that I could get other people to compete against me!"

Briar shrugged helplessly. "Well, it's the truth. You're gonna win this thing whether you like it or not. Why _don't_ you like it, though?"

"It's… complicated," the blonde said hastily. "And it's not true, either! You have plenty of good things that I don't. For instance, you can throw a party way better than anymore else… you're one of the smartest students in the school without even needing to stay awake in class… and you're fairy cool, Briar! You have just as much chance of winning this contest as I do."

Briar laughed. "Girl, come _on!_ All that talk just goes to show how clueless you are about how popular you are in this school. Okay, I admit I'm pretty good at those things you listed - but they're _nothing_ next to how much people love you here, Apple. Nothing."

"What about the page-ripping _party_ held at the end of the competition?" Apple offered. She got the response she was looking for; Briar perked up almost immediately at the mention of 'party'. "Did you read that part on the MirrorNet, too? The winner - _and_ all the contestants - have a huge spellebration at the crowning of Miss Ever After! It was traditionally one of the biggest parties in the history of Ever After High."

"I did read about that part," Briar admitted, now looking a little wary.

"Then c'mon! Sign up now and you'll get to be the center of it all - I guarantee it!"

Briar stood there, shifting a little on her feet. Parties were good. Being part of a huge, awesome after-pageant party was even better.

"Fine, I'll do it," she relented. Apple cheered, and Briar laughed at her excitement - until all of a sudden there was a huge stack of papers in her arms.

"Uh… Apple?"

"Will you help me hand those out? A good party needs lots of participants!" Apple explained a little mischieviously.

Briar made a face. "Alright, alright, you got me. I'll help you pass these out."

Apple hugged her quickly, then whisked off down the hallway when she realized they were both ten minutes late far class. Briar looked again at her heavy stack of fliers. _Too much work!_ After some thinking, she set the papers down on a nearby bench and decided that she'd just throw them over the heads of students during passing.

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: BRIAR BEAUTY<em>

* * *

><p>"Maddie, have you read this flier yet?"<p>

Raven Queen handed over the paper that Apple had given to her. In truth she was asked simply to pass the flier along to anyone who might be interested, but it was Raven herself who was now intrigued with its proposal.

"Miss… Ever… After! Now where have I heard that before?" Madeline "Maddie" Hatter wondered aloud as she read the flier upside-down. She sipped a cup of tea that materialized out of nowhere and sat down on the school floor.

"That's just it. My dad used to talk about this event all the time," Raven explained, kneeling to reach eye level with her eccentric conversation partner. She tried to recall all the foggy details. "It was an old pageant thing held at Ever After High… apparently his senior year was one of the last times it was spellebrated. They stopped happening after the Snow Whites kept winning every year."

"Ah! There it is, I remember now!" Maddie slammed down her cup of tea; the liquid splashed everywhere. She tilted her head back to look at Raven. "So! Are you entering, or are you entering?"

"Me?" Raven laughed nervously. "I don't know about that, Maddie. Would they even let me?"

Maddie sprang to her feet and dusted off her dress. "Of course they would! It says right on the flier: _all female student body are eligible to enter."_

"Yeah…"

But Raven wondered if she submitted her name, would the authorities bend backwards to argue her out of it just like every other time she tried to do something normal and non-evil? Her dad had said the contest was serious business.

"You think I should?" Raven really wanted to. If she was allowed to compete, it would be a great opportunity to show everyone that she wasn't as "evil" as everyone thought she was.

"Absolutely!" the curly-haired girl declared. "Raven Queen: Miss Ever After! They're practically the same words."

The supposed-evil-queen stifled another laugh. "Maddie, I'll be lucky if I can even get through the first round. But I'm not entering to win - I just want to have fun like everyone else."

Maddie stopped to think about her words, then nodded in approval. "That, too."

"What about you?" Raven inquired as the two of them made their way down the hall to their next class. "Will you be entering Miss Ever After?"

"I already entered, silly," she replied, skipping in her steps. "Don't you know I enter every year, just in case they start up again? That and the Ever After High pie-throwing contest! You think if I send in enough applications they'll finally hold it for the first time?"

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: RAVEN QUEEN<em>

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: MADELINE HATTER<em>

* * *

><p>"Thank you <em>so<em> much again for doing this, Blondie," Apple sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Apple! We're best friends forever after, aren't we?"

Blondie Lockes and Apple White were standing at the entrance of Ever After High. They were preparing a live special on the former's MirrorCast show, _Just Right,_ and Blondie was making a fuss about where Apple should stand to capture her natural beauty just right. Apple, for her part, already had her speech perfectly memorized.

"Okay, that looks just right! Stay right there," Blondie ordered. She pulled out her magic mirror and began filming; Apple stood a little straighter and flashed her perfect smile.

"Hello, Ever After High, and welcome to another hexciting story on _Just Right,_ your local MirrorNet show that is always _just_ right," Blondie began, grinning at the camera. "Now I hope you're staying tuned for this, because today we've got a very special announcement from the one and only Apple White! What's the news, Apple?" She faced the mirror at her companion.

"Why, thank you for giving me this opportunity, Blondie! Trust me - all the girls in Ever After High will want to hear this," Apple replied, beaming.

"Wow! Now that's a confidence I like. Let's hear what this great news is!"

"It is my royal duty as President of the Royal Student Council to help organize all the fun events in our school," she started, "and for that reason, I am proud to announce that - for the first time in ten years - our school is once again holding the Miss Ever After beauty pageant!

"For those of you who aren't quite sure what that is, Miss Ever After is a traditional competition held in honor of the first fairy tale queen - that is, my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother - by encouraging all female students to show the school what it means to be a true Ever After fairy tale! Girls get to compete in variety of contests, from dress competitions to real-time war battles and everything in between! Best of all, the winner gets to hold the title of 'Miss Ever After'!

"So what's so great about being Miss Ever After? Other than being the most honored title the school has to offer, there are a bunch of wonderful perks in being the Miss! At the culmination of the event, a huge party will be held in the honor of the winner where she will receive her own specially-crafted diamond Ever After High crown. Her name will be recorded in History Hall along with all the other past Miss Ever Afters, and she will be allowed full access to the _entire _school at any time! She is also traditionally given the first pick of any date for the Last Dance, for those of you looking into the future. In short, Miss Ever After is considered the supreme idol of the school! How wicked is that?"

"That _is_ wicked," Blondie agreed, although she looked a little surprised as well. "I never knew such a thing existed, Apple!"

"Well, it hasn't been held for ten years," Apple reminded her friend. "But if anyone is interested in joining, there are fliers going around the school that have directions about how to register - and also have more about Miss Ever After, if you missed any of that!"

"Oh, _those_ fliers! Were they the ones that were falling out of the sky during passing?"

"Ah ha ha… I sure… hope… not?" Falling out of the sky? When did this happen? "I think that's it, Blondie. Do you have anything else to say?"

Blondie whirled the mirror back around to face herself. "Nope, nothing! That speech was _just_ right - hex, even I'm tempted to join now! Thanks for listening, and we hope to see you at Miss Ever After!" Then she clicked off her mirror.

"Did you mean that, Blondie?" Apple whispered. Blondie turned around and nodded.

"You made a great pitch! I bet tons of people are going to enter now that we've got this on the MirrorCast," she replied. As if on a cue, a single colorful paper fluttered down toward the girls. Blondie caught it deftly between her fingers.

"So, how do I sign up for this?"

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: BLONDIE LOCKES<em>

* * *

><p>On the other side of the MirrorNet, C. A. Cupid was finishing up her own MirrorCast show. The topic of Miss Ever After hadn't been brought up once like she was afraid it would since Blondie had announced it on <em>Just Right,<em> and she was glad for it. Cupid was here to fix fairy tale romances, not to discuss idle gossip.

"Now I've got time for just one more caller," Cupid announced. The pink lights in her little office danced across her face. "So, for the last time today, Fairy Land - what's in your heart?"

It wasn't long before a face appeared on her mirror. She smiled and waited.

_"Uh, hi, Cupid. This isn't really a romantic problem, but I was wondering if you heard about Miss Ever After?"_

Cupid nearly face-palmed. Of course; she had been too optimistic.

"Yes I have, just like the rest of you," she answered calmly. "If you wish to discuss about Miss Ever After, I would strongly advise you contact my good friend and roommate Blondie on her show instead - this MirrorCast is for love advice only. Now does anyone else have a romantic problem you would like me to address?"

Another caller came in: _"Yeah, hey, Cupid. I just wanted to know if you'd enter Miss Ever After, because you totally should!"_

Cupid clicked him offline. "Again, any _romantic problems,_ Fairy Land?"

A third person appeared. _"Hi, Cupid. I called you last week with the question about the girl in the library - and I just want to say thank you. Isabella and I are dating now!"_

"Oh! Well, you're very welcome," Cupid said warmly. "And congratulations! It makes me so happy to learn that everything worked out for you two."

_"Yup! So, I'm just saying, if you ran for Miss Ever After, I would vote for you in a heartbeat."_

Cupid felt like smashing her head into the desk. She might have done it, too, if it wasn't for the fact that all of Ever After High was watching her on her show.

"Please, guys," she pleaded. "Let's not talk about Miss Ever After right now. There will be plenty of time for that later, I promise. But if no one else has any questions, I'll end the show right now. Take care, everyone, and see you next time on - "

_"Hello? Cupid?"_ came another caller. She peered down and gasped a little - even though she could only see the corner of his glasses, she could tell it was Dexter Charming.

"Oh. Um, hello!" Cupid responded nervously. She started shuffling around the papers on her desk. "Do you have a question?"

_"Well, um, not exactly. I was just hearing all these Miss Ever After comments and wanted to say how much of a great friend you've been to me all these months. I mean, you're exactly the kind of person who should be Miss Ever After - you know, representing our school and all… and who better to do it than someone who always helps other people out?"_ There was a pause. _"Uh… ha ha… is this awkward? Well, uh, anyway - that's if it plan on joining, you know. Because I think you would really deserve it. Ahem."_

Cupid was floored. "Ah…"

_"...Yeah. Um. Hello?"_

"Ah…"

She was drawing a complete blank. _Huh? Huh? Huh?_ was all that was going through her mind. Did Dexter really say all those nice things about her? She flushed, grinning like a complete moron.

_"Cupid? Aw, man, I shouldn't have said all that, should I?"_

Cupid shook her head back and forth. "Oh - no! No, no, sorry… I just, um, spaced out for a little bit! Thank you," she said in a single breath. "Um. Well… I mean, I guess I could join Miss Ever After, maybe. Just… just because!"

What was she saying? Was she really joining Miss Ever After?

All of a sudden, an influx of callers came in. They flashed across her mirror - pixelated bits and pieces of faces filling the entire screen.

_"Do it, Cupid! I'll vote for you!"_

_"C. A. CUPID FOR MISS EVER AFTER."_

_"Yay! I'm so happy you're entering - I wouldn't want anyone else to win!"_

Cupid blinked a few times, more dumbfounded still. The encouragement continued pouring in from all sorts of faces - those she had helped out and those she didn't recognize at all. Her heart was beating very fast. "I… wow. Thank you, everyone!"

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: CHARICLO ARGANTHONE CUPID<em>

* * *

><p>Ashlynn Ella walked as fast she her dainty glass slippers could take her. <em>Step,<em> step, _step,_ step. _Hurry,_ hurry, _hurry!_

The forest was the door to her freedom; the mass of chattering students that she knew would be waiting just around the building was the all-consuming fire, ready to snatch her up should they spot her. But the fire must not catch her. The students must not see her.

_HURRY._

Ashlynn ducked behind the first tree in the woods desperately and waited. A minute passed - nothing.

Oh, thank goodness. Nobody had spotted her. She gathered herself together and, with much more composure, descended into the forest. Today had been a bad day: Apple, Briar, and almost every student she knew had stopped to talk to her just when she decided to sneak off for her date with Hunter.

The sound of crunching leaves froze her in her tracks. Ashlynn looked behind her, heart pounding, when she saw a familiar-looking creature peering back at her from the trees.

"Oh, Pesky, it's just you!" she exhaled. "I just barely managed to lose everyone. Um, is there anyone here?"

_"Nobody's here,"_ Pesky responded, looking disinterested.

"Is there anyone here?" Ashlynn asked another bird nearby - not because she didn't trust Pesky, but the cheeky squirrel did have his own ideas about her and Hunter's relationship should be.

_"He's right - nobody else is here, Miss Ashlynn! Mister Hunter will be here in a minute!"_ the bird twittered. Ashlynn breathed a sigh of relief and pushed past the drooping branches to their designated picnic spot.

_"Why are you two still hiding this?"_ came Pesky's chatter. He leaped from tree to tree, following the princess to the clearing at the center of the woods.

Ashlynn was patient, even though the squirrel asked the same question every time. "Because we would get into serious trouble if anyone found out, Pesky. Princesses are not supposed to be dating huntsmen," she said a little sadly.

_"So? Who cares what other people think?"_ Pesky sat on his haunches and cleaned his face with his paws. _"I mean if you just don't want people knowing you're dating a total idiot like Hunter, you can just tell me that."_

"Hunter is not an idiot," she chided, sitting down on an unnaturally smooth trunk (Hunter must have already prepared the seat for her before he left). "But it's more than just what they think, Pesky… if the Headmaster knew, for instance, he might really try to separate us. And then there's our parents, and our destinies…"

The squirrel actually rolled his eyes. _"I don't know what it is about destinies and crap you always go on about, but Hunter sure doesn't talk much about it. Just forget it and get married and have a hundred idiot babies, won't you?"_

"Pesky!" cried Ashlynn, blushing up a storm. "Don't say things like that! That's so inappropri - oh, Hunter, there you are!"

The suntanned huntsman was weaving his way through thorns and bushes, an axe in one hand and a bunch of green flowers in the other. He looked surprised to find Ashlynn waiting for him.

"Hey, pumpkin! You're, uh, here early?" Hunter Huntsman asked, hastily stowing the flowers behind his back. Ashlynn pretended not to see them - or, upon closer inspection, the fact that he looked completely soaked head to toe.

"I closed the store a little earlier than usual today for our date. You know how I hate being late!" She actually took a quick look down to confirm that she was indeed not late and not wearing rags. "Pesky and I were having a… pleasant? chat just before you came, actually."

"I hope you weren't bothering her, Pesky," Hunter warned. In response, Pesky threw an acorn right between his eyes, eliciting a yelp from his human companion.

"He wasn't a bother at all," Ashlynn lied, smiling. Hunter continued to eye him with suspicion as he lowered himself on large rock opposite of his red-headed companion.

"I sure hope not. These are for you, my princess," he said, holding out the bunch of flowers.

"Oh, thank you! They're beautiful." Ashlynn accepted the glittering sea-green blooms with a giggle. She pressed them to her face and sniffed; they smelled faintly of salt and reminded her of the ocean. "What are these, Hunter? I've never seen flowers like these before."

"Hydra lilies," he said proudly. "They only grow at the bottom of diluted dragon acid lakes at this time of year." O... kay, that would explain the shirt.

"That sounds dangerous!" Ashlynn protested, reaching over to examine her reckless boyfriend's body. "Dragon acid could really hurt you… what were you even thinking?"

"Only of you, pumpkin," Hunter replied sweetly. Ashlynn continued glaring at him. "Aw, don't be like that, Ash. I know my way around these woods - I knew how to get them out without stepping a foot in the lake!"

"Then why do you look like you just took a shower without taking off your clothes?"

"I, err, slipped a little at one point," he admitted. Ashlynn gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "It wasn't a big deal, really! I washed it all off as soon as I got out. Pesky here really saved me, actually. As soon as he saw me fall - uh, _slip my foot_ in, he ran off to grab a bucket of water from Swan Puddle. You know, since swan tears have magical restorative properties… not like I needed them, ha ha!"

_"Like I said, your boyfriend is a true idiot,"_ Pesky muttered.

"You're a real pal when it comes to it, Pesky," added Hunter, who could not understand animal language like Ashlynn could.

"Don't you ever do that again, Hunter," Ashlynn said, still looking worried. To make her point even clearer, she set the beautiful hydra lilies on the floor and vowed not to look at them for the rest of the evening.

Hunter threw up his hands in defeat. "I won't, promise. I, er, learned my lesson."

"Good," she sighed.

"Still, you're the most caring girl I've ever met, Ashlynn," he said, somewhat out of the blue. Ashlynn shook her head and giggled. "I'm serious. You're definitely the kind of person Miss Ever After should be."

"Oh, no, Hunter - don't tell me Miss Ever After's all you're thinking about, too!" Ashlynn groaned.

"Why, what's happened?"

She pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, huffing. "Everyone has been asking me if I'd join Miss Ever After. Apple, Briar… I don't know, Hunter. It sounds like fun, but it's just too much trouble to enter."

"Oh." Hunter looked awkward now. "Sorry, I didn't know. Well, if you don't want to join, then don't join."

"It does seem like fun to compete with the others, but…" Ashlynn shrugged, picking the dirt from under her nails. She had been trying not to think about it; it was no use entertaining the idea of entering when she knew she couldn't. "I have the shop to look after. Anyway, there's no real chance of someone like me winning, is there?"

"Of course there is!"

It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't just Hunter who had spoken, but all of the woodland creatures around them as well. Ashlynn grinned despite herself.

"If the shop is all you're worried about, Pesky and I could help you out… behind the scenes," Hunter offered.

Ashlynn certainly hadn't been expecting this. She had felt really bad, though, turning down her friends so abruptly all because she was in a hurry.

"Are you sure?" she asked. He nodded earnestly. "Well, alright, then. I'll consider it… maybe."

All the animals around them cheered, and Hunter clapped his hands. Ashlynn took a little bow and giggled. "Alright, alright. Let's get back to our date for now, okay?"

"You got it," Hunter replied, winking. He leaned in from across the table, and she followed suit; their lips met…

Again, all of the woodland critters cheered - except Pesky, who said _"get a room, 'cause somebody's coming,"_ and succeeded in alarming Ashlynn enough to send them both toppling into the swamp.

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: ASHLYNN ELLA<em>

* * *

><p>"I cannot <em>believe<em> the nerve of Apple White. Doesn't she have enough self-glory as it is?"

Duchess Swan was fuming. She and Sparrow Hood were sitting at the edge of Swan Puddle - it was a miniature of the Swan Lake that Duchess had back at home, but it was also conveniently located just outside the school woods.

"How'd you figure?" Sparrow asked. He was sitting, legs stretched out on the grass and tuning his guitar.

"You heard on _Just Right,_ didn't you? She plans to throw a huge contest just for herself. Even I never thought she would sink that low."

"For herself?" Sparrow raised an eyebrow. "S'not what I heard. I thought any girl could enter."

Duchess huffed and twirled toward her companion in the unique ballet-walking motions that she carried herself with. "Don't be dense. Everyone knows Apple is going to win like she does _everything_. Miss Ever After is just another foo-foo title tacked onto the end of her ego list."

Sparrow adjusted his hat and peered at her. "Who knows? Not everybody is talking about how Apple is going to win."

"Who have you been talking to?" Duchess asked incredulously.

"Who have _you_ been talking to?" he retorted.

Duchess was unamused. It was just common knowledge that Apple White was going to win anything she entered… although to be completely honest, Duchess hadn't been talking to anyone much these days. She was really losing touch with her classmates.

"This day has been poisonous," the swan princess declared, plopping down on the grass. She propped her elbows on her knees and sank her chin into her hands. "First I was practicing ballet here by myself when this squirrel comes running with a bucket and trips me; next I find out that Apple White is fooling everyone in the school with her fake contest; and now I'm stuck with _you."_

"But that last one - sounds like a blessing!" Sparrow sang. He stood up and played a few blaring notes on his guitar, scattering away the birds in the trees.

Duchess ignored him and continued pondering her thoughts. If Sparrow had been chatting with people, and they weren't necessarily just going to vote for Apple…

"What _are_ people saying, then?" she asked suddenly. Sparrow stopped and looked confused. "About Miss Ever After. That's what we were taking about."

Sparrow scratched his head. "Not much, really. Mostly people were asking what Miss Ever After was about. And talking about who was entering."

"So they're just talking about Apple White?" said Duchess, disgusted.

"Sure, there's Apple," Sparrow continued, "but there's other girls, too. Some of them already signed up, I think."

"Oh yeah?" This was getting interesting. She sat up, now attentive. "So who's dumb enough?"

"Briar Beauty. And Blondie said she'd be entering on her show, remember?"

"That's it?" So she was right - yet somehow, Duchess felt a little let down by the news. "Briar's just doing it because she's friends with Apple, and Blondie was joking."

"Hold on, there's more." The son of Robin Hood closed his eyes, trying to remember the snippets of conversation he had hours ago. "Some of the rebels are in it, too. Raven Queen and Hatter. I also heard from the gang that C. A. Cupid would be in it, too."

Duchess frowned at that. "Well, Maddie's _mad,_ so of course she would… and Raven's kind of a freak, so I'm not really surprised. I always thought Cupid was okay, though." Guess this school really was full of morons.

"And… word on the street is that Ashlynn's in, too. Huntsman mentioned it back in the dorms."

Okay, _everybody_ was nuts. Duchess was never touching the school's water supply ever again.

"What are they thinking?" She leapt to her feet and stared intently at the red-headed rocker; he backed off in surprise, but Duchess could detect no hint of deception in his face. "Why? Why would they enter just to lose to Apple White?"

"I dunno… maybe, just maybe, they _don't_ plan on losing to Apple?" Sparrow teased.

"That's just impossible!" Is it possible?

"Why else would they join?" came Sparrow's voice.

Something happened all of a sudden, and Duchess couldn't describe it. There was a strange dawning in her heart… like she was learning how to hope again, to really hope, for the first time in years. It was actually difficult to breathe.

What had Apple been blathering about on the show? She got to be the school idol… first pick for the Last Dance - Daring Charming could be _hers_... Her thoughts spiraled out of control. She imagined herself on stage in front of a cheering school, shining like a star, Daring Charming's arm in hers, and Apple White sobbing at her feet after having finally been taken down a notch. It could even be the ticket she needed to convince Headmaster Grimm for her very own happily ever after.

A girl could have it all.

"What is this feeling?" Duchess breathed.

"Uh oh. Don't tell me you've fallen for me now, after all we did to ruin Ashlynn and Hunter."

Duchess snapped out of her thoughts and glared, but Sparrow just chuckled. "Stop that. I was talking to myself."

"Sure, sure." Sparrow stretched, his body pointing toward the sky, and then relaxed. "So I'm guessing you're going to compete?"

Duchess smirked. "Who knows?"

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: DUCHESS SWAN<em>

* * *

><p>The sun had already dipped below the horizon when Cerise Hood finally retired back to her dorm. Feeling tired and strangely unhappy, she pushed open the door that led to the room shared between her and her roommate, Cedar Wood. She hoped Cedar was still out; the only thing Cerise wanted to do was to finally take off her hood and take a long shower without any questions (even in her sleep she remembered to cover her ears with her protective cloak - she liked Cedar, but the girl's curse prevented her from keeping any secrets, whether she wanted to or not).<p>

Unfortunately, her honest roommate was present and sitting on her bed when Cerise stepped in the room. The brunette perked up and waved at her.

"Hi, Cerise," Cedar greeted.

"Hi, Cedar," Cerise replied. She made her way to the shower door. "I'm just going in for a long shower. Hope you don't mind."

"Oh. Uh…" Cedar stammered.

Cerise turned around, tired. Cedar was nervously twirling her hair between her wooden fingers. "Well, see, I cannot tell a lie, and… well, the hot water in the shower is sort of not working right now. I had to ask Raven and Apple if I could use theirs, actually."

"Great," Cerise groaned. So much for that long shower - she couldn't rudely use up someone else's bathroom for an entire hour. "I'll ask them myself later. I'm beat."

She flopped face-first into her pillow. Cedar stood up and began pacing the room, her shoes making _click-click_ sounds against the floor. It was almost peaceful for a while: the tapping was like a metronome, and it was slowly lulling Cerise to sleep.

"Cerise?" her roommate asked. The clicking stopped. Cerise turned her head slightly.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about Miss Ever After? I mean, if you care to tell me."

"Oh. That." Cerise closed her eyes; her thoughts were blurry. Still, she knew her answer for that question - the contest meant nothing to her, even though everyone else seemed to be talking about it. "I don't really care about it."

"Oh, I see." She sounded a little disappointed.

Using the last bit of motivation still inside her, Cerise picked herself up to look at her friend - she saw that Cedar was now sitting on her bed again, looking at the ceiling.

"Why?" she asked of her roommate's gloomy expression.

"Um. It's nothing too big, um…" Cedar said.

_Any minute now,_ Cerise thought. _Three, two, one..._

"Well, it's not _too_ big, but I was just thinking about Miss Ever After. And, maybe, how cool it would be to enter? I mean, I really want to, but I also think it's something too big for anyone to expect from me…" Her ramble trailed off into nothing.

"You wanna enter?" Cerise asked flatly.

"Well, maybe… yeah? I mean, I do, but I'm nervous," Cedar continued, seeming quite unable to stop herself from talking. She felt a little bad for her roommate's curse - Cerise couldn't imagine where she would be now if _she_ couldn't keep any secrets. "So I was thinking, since you're my friend, if you entered I would feel a lot better about it. Well, technically Raven and Maddie are my friends too, but they're always so confident about trying something new and I'm not, so… I don't know. But since you don't care anyway, I promise I won't ask anymore!"

Cerise tried to piece together her convoluted mess of an explanation. "So you want me to join alongside you?"

Cedar shook her head frantically, but she answered honestly: "Well, yes - I mean, yeah. But since you don't want to, I'll just forget about it, Cerise."

The daughter of Red Riding Hood - and the Big Bad Wolf - didn't answer for a moment. Her eyes were sweeping the room; their dorm was messier than most of the other girls', but it was decorated head to toe in paintings, all done by Cedar herself. There were several pictures of fairies and flowers, plants and portraits; over Cerise's bed was a painting of herself, given to her weeks ago by her roommate. The portrait Cerise looked a lot prettier than she did in real life, she thought. The painting had her smiling, and her unusual white stripe seemed to radiate light.

"It's okay. I'll join," she said, laying back down on her bed.

"Wh-what? You will?" she heard Cedar gasp. "Really, Cerise? You don't have to do it just for me - "

"Don't worry about it," Cerise sighed, propping a pillow over her face. Sure, she'd lose within the first round, but it was the least she could do for a friend. Cerise Hood: half-girl, half-wolf, Miss Ever After? She laughed softly to herself, relishing the absurdity in all of it.

Slowly but surely, Cerise fell asleep laughing like a hyena, leaving Cedar to wonder in horror if she had somehow broken her roommate.

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: CEDAR WOOD<em>

* * *

><p><em>ENTER CONTESTANT: CERISE HOOD<em>

* * *

><p><strong>inb4: The girls listed above will be the only ones who are going to compete in Miss Ever After High. Other characters will absolutely appear throughout the story, but they will not enter as contestants! That said, Lizzie Hearts and Kitty Cheshire (and any other unmentioned females - or males) are unfortunately not going to be contestants in this story. I don't really know enough about either of them to write them adequately, so they will not be competing. As with other non-contestants, however, they will still appear in the story!<strong>

**Okay, now that that's done - our introductory chapter is done! I'll try to get chapter 2 up soon, where the real fun begins. Voting begins next chapter, so please stay with us to decide the fates of these contestants! ;)**


	2. Of Itchy Dresses and Pinchy Shoes

It took Apple another thirty minutes to convince Headmaster Grimm after she submitted the names of the nine other competing girls, but it was definitely happening now: Miss Ever After would be renewed for the school year. The very next week the Charmitorium was packed with students and faculty members, as Grimm himself stood behind the podium on the stage.

"Who are you hoping will win?" Hunter asked Dexter. They were both sitting near the front, having arrived early to watch their girlfriend-slash-friends. Daring Charming was there, too, but he was chatting to a girl sitting behind him.

"Well, uh… I'm rooting for Raven and Cupid. Although I guess they can't exactly _both_ win," Dexter admitted. "What about you?"

"Ashlynn Ella," he replied proudly. Then, adding hastily: "Because we're pretty good friends and all. You know."

Dexter just nodded.

_**SCREEEEEEEECH!**_

The sound of the audio feedback tore through the room; several students yelled covered their ears.

"_**HELLO, IS THIS ON?"**_

"It's on! _It's on!"_ they cried with fingers stuffed in their ears.

"_**OH, YES. THANK YOU." **_Grimm frowned and adjusted the microphone for a moment - creating a few more screeches along the way - before finally setting it back on the podium. "Is this better now? Good."

"Ahem. Good evening Ever After High, and welcome to this year's Miss Ever After!" Headmaster Grimm said. The crowd whistled and clapped. "Thank you, thank you. Now, before we begin, allow me to remind you all of the very short and reasonable list of rules that you - the audience - must follow during the entirety of this competition…"

All the students groaned, but Grimm continued to go through a laundry list of incredibly specific rules without skipping a beat. Thirty minutes later, he finally reached the end of the list and the crowd began to wake up again.

"The first competition today will be the Evening Dress Contest," the Headmaster announced to renewed cheers. "A lady deserving the title of _Miss Ever After_ should possess beauty, poise, and good taste. Those wishing to get past the first round must show all three. Contestants will appear on stage one by one wearing an evening dress of their choosing, where they shall be judged on their fashion sense, how they hold themselves, and their natural beauty. So! Now we begin!"

Everybody cheered.

"...By waiting another hour, as the contestants prepare themselves in the dressing room backstage."

Everybody groaned.

* * *

><p>"Mirror, mirror, what about this dress?" Apple asked her personalized mirror, twirling around in what was now the sixth dress she tried on.<p>

"_It looks wonderful, Apple White," _the mirror replied.

"Thanks, mirror! Hmm." Apple turned and surveyed herself at different angles. "Is it better than the last dress I tried on?"

From the opposite side of the room, Raven sighed. "Apple, you know that mirror is always going to agree with you. Can you _please_ stop talking to it?"

Ten girls were put together in a large dressing room, complete with three shower stalls. Their wardrobes, which the girls had selected before entering the dressing room, were separated into different displays - Apple's collection was clearly the largest of the bunch, while Cerise's only had a single dress. The contestants were all at different stages of dressing up, helping each other with their hair and applying make up.

"Have any of you seen my other slipper?" Ashlynn asked from her position near the window; a number of birds and squirrels were helping her brush her hair, while she herself was trying to help Maddie comb through her messy locks.

"If it's a lost slipper you seek, you'll might just find it at the turniest peak!" Maddie giggled. Ashlynn shook her head.

"That dress is a little too gold, I think. But the last one you had was too wide at the shoulders," Blondie answered Apple. Blondie was still in her underwear, having rejected nearly every article of clothing in her own collection as not being "_just_ right" and was now going through the other girls' dresses.

"Blondie, can you please not touch that?" asked Cedar. She winced as she tried walking in her new uncomfortable flats. "These aren't going to work at all… Ashlynn, could I possibly borrow a pair of shoes from you?"

"Sure, go ahead. Just tell me if you find the one I'm missing, though."

Duchess and Cerise were both in the shower, and Briar was fast asleep in her chair. Cupid was trying to apply mascara on her eyelashes, but she kept missing and poking herself in the eye.

"Ouch!" she cried, dropping the wand. "Oh, no… Raven, do you think you could get this on with magic? I just can't do it!"

"Uh… you _don't_ want me to try using magic for this, I promise. But I'll see if I can help you by hand."

The amicable chatter continued through the room as the clock ticked closer and closer to the hour of the event.

* * *

><p>When the clock struck 6:55 - just five minutes before they were to go on stage - things weren't quite as calm.<p>

"Ohh, mirror, I don't know! I can't choose between these!"

"Does anyone know where my slipper is? Please, guys, I still can't find it - "

"These are all _just wrong!_ Why, oh why didn't I just go shopping yesterday?"

"Ashlynn, these really - ouch! - hurt. Do you have anything maybe more comfortable because I'm really afraid of tripping on stage, see…"

"I'm _so so so_ sorry, Cupid…!"

"Don't step on my train - and don't you _dare_ touch that, Blondie!"

"Urgh… hey, I'm up, girls. What time is it?"

"Is Cerise still in the shower? I really, really need to wash this out of my eyes!"

"If with the iris one cannot see, find a new watch glass in the oak tree~!"

"Mirror, mirror, which of these ten - "

The door swung open, revealing the chaotic mess going on inside - dresses everywhere, _water_ everywhere, and girls frantically trying to complete their outfits in the very last minute. Kitty Cheshire grinned, hands on her hips.

"Well, Miss Ever Afters, it sure looks like you girls are having fun," Kitty drawled from the doorframe, "but Headmaster Grimm wants me to tell you all that the event will be starting now. If you're not at the Charmitorium in five minutes wearing _appropriate attire_, you'll be disqualified! Good luck, hee hee hee…" She promptly vanished.

There was a tense silence. Then somebody screamed, and clothes, make-up, and bodies went flying in all directions, just as Cerise Hood finally came out of the shower.

* * *

><p>"Cerise, my dear, I am glad that you are here, but…" Headmaster Grimm looked over her shoulder as if expecting the other girls to appear any second, but they didn't. "Where are the other contestants? They have just a minute left."<p>

Cerise was currently the only one standing backstage with the Headmaster. Despite her long shower, she had been the first to depart and hastily left the scream-fest that was happening in the dressing room.

"They'll be here soon," she suggested, although she wasn't entirely sure if that would be true.

Headmaster Grimm exhaled… he had done Miss Ever After for only two years, and both of them had ended after the first round (both times, only one other girl was willing to compete against Snow White). He wasn't sure if he wanted the same thing to happen now.

"Very well. You may go on stage first while we wait for the other girls."

Cerise looked apprehensive; she hadn't wanted to go _first_ - that would bring too much attention to her - but she eventually nodded. Grimm gave her a tight smile, patted her shoulder, and pushed past the curtains. She waited and listened.

"Ahem," came Headmaster Grimm's voice, booming over the speakers. The hum of student chatting soon died down. "Thank you for waiting. Again, welcome ladies and gentlemen to this year's Miss Ever After!"

There was loud applause. He continued:

"Now, let us begin the introduction and first contest - the Evening Dress Match!" Grimm announced, giving way to even more cheers. "Keep your scrutinizing eyes open, ladies and gentlemen, because I will now bring out our contestants one by one. Without further delay…"

Cerise took a deep breath and walked closer to the curtain. Just then, she saw a flash of gold and red coming behind her - Apple made it. She turned around and saw that the other girls were finally trickling in.

"Has it started?" Apple whispered, breathing hard.

"It just started," Cerise answered. "You guys just made it - "

"Introducing our first contestant!" Grimm said. "She loves to run and can travel through shadows - please give a warm welcome for Cerise Hood!"

Cerise walked rigidly on the stage. She was wearing a simple crimson gown underneath her magical cloak, and her hair was left down in her usual style.

There was modest applause, although she could detect with her enhanced hearing that a few people were whispering questions about why she was still wearing her day cloak for the event. Cerise crossed her arms defensively; she couldn't wait for this to be over with. Just before she left the center stage, however, she heard distinctive howls; Cerise looked again at the massive crowd. In the very far back the Big Bad Wolf was clapping proudly, and she could see some of her pack howling their approval.

She grinned shyly and stood at the end of the stage.

"Thank you. And now for our next contestant - a true beauty to behold and the apple of everyone's eye, put your hands together for the one and only Apple White!"

The crowd went wild as Apple waltzed on stage, looking as radiant and charming as she'd ever been. Apple ironically settled for the very first dress she tried: a billowing white ball dress with red and gold highlights, ruffled sleeves, and deep blue ribbons around the hem. All of her hair was piled on top of her head with intricate care, except for the few artful strands that had been deliberately left out to sit delicately on her shoulders.

She beamed and waved at everyone when she stopped at her position next to Cerise, eliciting more applause from the crowd. It took twice as long to silence the audience for the next contestant.

"For our third contestant, we will be introducing a fun-loving party goer who 'throws the best illegal spellebrations'... hmm. Briar Beauty, what kind of self-description is this?"

Briar had the bad luck of being introduced just after Apple, but upon hearing her botched introduction, the crowd began to laugh and clapped for her earnestly. Briar had her wavy brown hair in a high ponytail, and the sleek lace dress she wore was classy as anything: it was pink and black, like her usual attire, but the dress looked more mature and showed off her body to great success. The knee-length slit up the side of her dress allowed her to strut confidently across the stage.

Briar laughed nervously, dodged the threatening glare of the Headmaster, and settled safely next to the other two girls at the end of the stage.

"Fourth contestant! She has an eye for perfection and runs the local MirrorCast show _Just Right_, say hello to Blondie Lockes!"

Blondie bounced on stage and waggled her fingers at the audience. Luckily for the other girls, she eventually chose to wear one of her own dresses: a cute light blue gown with honey-colored accents. Her blonde locks were bunched into two girlish pigtails, giving her an idol-look that only highlighted her background as a show star. Her fans cheered and snapped pictures of her, and Blondie obliged them by making various model poses.

She skipped to the end of the stage with the rest of the contestants. _"Just right,"_ she mouthed to them.

"And… our fifth contestant. Er, Miss Raven Queen, please come on stage."

Raven walked calmly despite Headmaster Grimm's lackluster introduction. She hadn't managed to get her hair to curl at all despite her efforts, so Raven opted to wear a french braid with a tall crown instead; it looked elegant on her. For her outfit, she was wearing a deep purple dress paired with a silver shawl. The rebels in the school - and Dexter Charming - clapped and stomped their feet, so much so that the applause she received was almost equal to Apple's.

Looking quite surprised but happily so, Raven stopped and waited at the end of the stage for the next competitor.

"Now for our sixth contestant! She can dance with the very best of them - we proudly introduce Duchess Swan!"

The polite applause that had started up as Duchess entered the stage quickly fell to a hushed awe. She was wearing a short white dress and white gloves, but there were several long, translucent ribbons attached to her outfit that fanned the entire stage; they floated and twisted along with her ballet-like movements, creating a sort of ribbon dance. However, Duchess stopped abruptly in the middle of her walk. She looked nervously at the crowd, mistaking their silence for dislike.

It was an uncomfortable quiet until someone in the audience shouted "Woo! Work it!", and the crowd laughed. Duchess quickly shuffled into line amid renewed applause.

"She loves tea and madness more than anything else in the world - please join me in welcoming our next contestant, Madeline Hatter!"

Maddie hopped on stage, eyes closed and smiling to herself. Ashlynn hadn't managed to tame her hair in the least, but her curls suited the puffed purple dress that she was now wearing. In fact, Maddie looked quite fashionable - except for maybe her headdress, in which she was wearing seven vastly different hats right on top of one another. The crowd was genuinely stunned into silence for a moment, but then the rebels clapped for her heartily.

"I hope this finishes soon - it's almost tea time!" Maddie whispered to the rest of the girls when she reached them.

"Our eighth contestant! She loves nature, nature's creatures, and lots of shoes - here's Ashlynn Ella!"

The applause that Ashlynn received was as much animal as it was human. Every bird, rabbit and rodent voiced their support from the crowd, and Hunter Huntsman let out a big whoop. Ashlynn's style was natural: her hair was down with a single flower tucked over her ear, and her dress was mint green and flowy. Only her shoes were quite extravagant - they sparkled with every step she took. (Or rather, only one of them did - Ashlynn hoped nobody noticed they weren't exactly matching.)

She gracefully took her place at the end of the stage, tucking one of her feet behind the other.

"Now for our ninth contestant! She doesn't come from fairy land, but she's here to spread the love: it's our one and only Chariclo Arganthone Cupid!"

Cupid glided on stage with a frilly pink-and-white dress. Her eyelashes had less eyeliner on it than she had hoped, but her smile erased any flaws that might have been noticeable on her face. She styled her hair in a heart-shaped ponytail and painted her lips in a way that made it look like it was a heart; her wings spread out like an angel's. Cupid's MirrorCast fans, including Dexter, stood up and started chanting her name.

Cupid blushed and side-stepped her way to the end of the stage.

"And finally, our last contestant! Her honesty is her best and worst trait, and she loves to paint - put your hands together for Cedar Wood!"

Cedar stumbled into the spotlight, smiling nervously. She had her hair in her usual style, swooped back and braided in the front; her lilac short-long dress, on the other hand, was something definitely new. Cedar had luckily found a pair of high heels that matches her dress and didn't pinch her feet when she walked.

Being the last contestant, the applause she received was noticeably less enthused than the girls' before her. However, when Apple White began to clap - as did Raven Queen - the whole school began to join in. By the time Cedar made it to the lineup, she was getting the most cheers of all the contestants; she stood there looking utterly shocked.

"Splendid," Headmaster Grimm said crisply. He stood a little straighter from the podium. "Now that you have been introduced to all of our lovely contestants…"

The crowd cheered.

"...I must ask you to now eliminate one of them."

* * *

><p><strong>[VOTING PERIOD IS OVER FOR THIS CHAPTER]<strong>

**Please do not submit any more votes for this section, although you're always free to send in normal reviews ;) Otherwise, please continue onto the next chapter!**

_other notes: Writing about clothing is extremely painful |||OTL Promise the other contests will be a lot more interesting, but I had to get this one out of the way first._


	3. Swimming, Anyone?

A tense fifteen minutes passed as everyone in the stadium cast their votes via magical ballots (they popped out of thin air in front of every student just as the dress competition finished). The girls on stage looked nervous, while Headmaster Grimm merely appeared tired.

"Time is up," he announced. Every ballot started glowing; they floated in the air, united into a single radiating sheet of paper, and zoomed to Grimm. He caught the parchment and cleared his throat. "The first to be eliminated from Miss Ever After is…"

All the contestants held their breath (except Maddie, who was shaking her fists excitedly).

"_...Apple White?"_

Everyone in the Charmitorium gasped.

"This… this can't be right," Headmaster Grimm muttered, flipping the page back and forth. Behind him, Apple's face grew even paler than usual. "No, this isn't right at all. Did all of you follow the instructions? You were supposed to vote who you wanted to _remove_ from the contest."

The students looked hesitantly from one another, but no one seemed to be admitting to any mistakes. Apple looked ready to faint.

"Very well. There must have been an error in the magic," Grimm reasoned, but he was still glaring at the students. "This should only take a few minutes. Professor Yaga, would you come up here for a moment and check the spellwork on this ballot?"

As Baba Yaga made her way up to the stage, frantic whispers broke out amongst the crowd and between the contestants.

"Don't worry, Apple," Briar assured her trembling friend. "It was just a mistake. Hell, there's no way you could be voted out first."

Apple gave her a forced smile. "Thanks, Briar."

Ashlynn and Blondie passed down their support as well; Raven looked like she wanted to comfort her, too, but didn't seem able to come up with any words. Cupid watched her sympathetically, while Maddie didn't seem to notice that anything unusual was going on. Duchess, Cerise, and Cedar merely looked stunned.

Down in the audience, Hunter and Dexter were exchanging surprised looks while Daring was just opening and closing his mouth in shock.

"How? Apple _White?"_ Dexter whispered. "There's no way she could've gotten out first!"

Hunter was silent; he looked thoughtful. "I don't know… maybe."

"This is simply a mistake!" Daring said suddenly, slapping his fists down on the sides of the seat. Both of them looked at him; he was now crossed-armed, appearing quite confident on his assertion. "Of course Apple wouldn't have been voted out! How could anyone believe that for a second?"

Dexter shrugged, and Hunter returned the gesture. The three of them stopped speaking and just waited.

All the way in the back, Lizzie and Kitty were arguing.

"I can't believe they're recounting just because Apple lost first," Kitty purred, looking contemptuous. She was sitting with her legs curled up against her. "Like that's not biased at all!"

"We'll find out eventually," Lizzie reasoned. "If she's really been voted out, they won't be able to do anything about it except to make her leave. Off with all their heads!"

Meanwhile Sparrow, who was sitting two seats away from them, was cracking up at the results and thoroughly discomforting the frog prince sitting next to him. The heavy atmosphere continued like that for another ten minutes and Baba Yaga double-checked and triple-checked the spellwork on the ballots.

"What do you mean, it's _not_ a mistake?" Headmaster Grimm whispered from behind his podium. "This is not feasible! Snow White wins every year!"

Baba Yaga just shook her head, looking annoyed. "I have checked three times over now, Headmaster. There is nothing wrong with the spellwork. The students must have sincerely voted against Apple White."

Grimm sighed. This was a bad situation. Kicking out the daughter of Snow White within the first round was certainly an anomaly, but there was technically nothing breaking anyone's destinies if Apple didn't win Miss Ever After… although it might convince troubled students like Raven Queen that they could actually rewrite themselves. Still, if he tried to change things now, there would most certainly be a riot and students might become even more resentful. Grimm's hands were tied.

He threw a regretful backwards glance at Apple, who was now wringing her hands and looking close to tears. He had warned her against it, and now this was happening.

"Ahem. Thank you for your patience," Grimm said finally, sounding not the least bit thankful. "We have unfortunately confirmed the validity of the ballot - the first contestant to leave Miss Ever After is indeed Miss Apple White."

Everyone looked horrified.

"But… but why?" Apple cried. She wasn't crying yet, but her voice warbled pitifully. "How could I have been voted out _first?_ I mean, I'm… _I'm - !"_

She cut herself off abruptly and, after a moment's pause, ran off the stage sobbing. An awkward silence hung throughout the entire Charmitorium as Apple's cries slowly disappeared into the distance. Even Headmaster Grimm looked uncomfortable. There had to be something he could say to break the tension…

"Next up is the Swim Contest!" he announced. "There will be… bikinis!"

Everybody cheered.

"Yes, yes, the Swim Contest," Grimm repeated, "a glorious test of health, grace, and athletic ability! For this event, the school pool will be temporarily open from one to three o'clock PM, where contestants will be asked to demonstrate their water skills. Three judges from the school faculty will evaluate the contestants' performances, but all spectators are free to join us at the bleachers."

He turned to the contestants. "You will be expected to arrive at the pool by one o'clock dressed in appropriate swim wear. All floatation devices, magical or non-magical, as well as any other swimming-aid that does not include your basic swimwear, are strictly prohibited for this event. You will be judged on different techniques as well as your speed and endurance. I will explain the rules in more detail on the day of the contest, but is this all clear to you for now? Good."

Without waiting to hear the girls' responses, Headmaster Grimm whirled around again to address the audience. "Thank you for attending the first event of Miss Ever After! We… er, hope to see you at the next event. But without further ado, you are all dismissed!"

And that was how the first event of Miss Ever After ended - Apple White, daughter of Snow White and the most anticipated winner of the contest, was voted out. With the future of Miss Ever After made unclear, the rest of the contestants returned to their dormitories feeling a mixture of wonder and worry.

None of them would anticipate the stranger things soon to come.

* * *

><p>Briar was looking forward to the next competition. She was still shocked about Apple's immediate loss and had even considered withdrawing, but Apple wouldn't hear any of it and insisted that she continue to compete. Even Briar had to admit that getting to wear her new hot pink bikini and take a dip in the school's great crystal pool was well worth all that entrance paperwork she had to go through to get in - the pool wasn't normally open until summer, but Grimm allowed an exception for the pageant.<p>

She was so excited that the first thing she did after waking up - right after wishing good-lucks and bidding good-byes to the other contestants - was find her swimsuit and head to the east bay of lake in the Enchanted Forest. (The forest lake was a true monstrosity, large enough that it had four separate bays where students could swim in privacy). Briar was a decent swimmer, but she didn't have much practice outside of summer vacation - she figured she would do better to shed the rust now before realizing she had somehow totally forgot how to swim while in the crystal pool. Also, she was hyped and didn't want to wait a whole hour now that swimming was on her mind.

Briar ignored the few gaping stares she received as she made her way to the lake in just her bikini, flip-flops, and pink shades. Yup, she was _definitely_ going to go swimming in the lake. Nothing - not the chill wind blowing against her skin, not the weak protests she received from her acquaintances warning her against it - was going to stop her. Her flip-flops were already off as she broke into a run toward the glistening (if not slightly green) water of the lake.

Then Briar Beauty promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Cedar?" a soft voice came from outside. Someone tried to turn the knob.<p>

"Wait! Don't come in!" Cedar jumped and hastily threw on an old t-shirt over her bathing suit - it was one she used for art class, blotched with various splashes of paint - and sprinted to the door. She looked down to verify that everything was covered and, taking a deep, calming breath, peeked outside her dorm room. "Hello?"

"Hey, Cedar!" A familiar girl with curly pink hair stood with her hands folded behind her back, smiling nervously. She was also wearing a casual shirt and shorts.

"Oh, hey Cupid! Come on in." Cedar threw open the door, glad to see that it was familiar female friend and not some random stranger guy. She still wasn't entirely decent; her oversized shirt reached down to her mid-thigh, obscuring her tiny swim shorts and making it look like she was… well, walking around in a lot less clothing than she should be walking around in. The room behind her was a total mess - all of her clothes were thrown haphazardly around her bed and on the floor, and the curtains were still shut. "Um, sorry about this… I was looking for something new to wear for the contest, because my old swimsuit is kinda…" She gestured helplessly at the kiddish orange daisy-patterned one-piece that was laying on top of the drawer. "...But I'm definitely wearing something underneath this!" she added.

"It's okay," Cupid giggled, stepping carefully inside the room. "These… paintings are nice."

"Thanks…" Although Cedar wondered if she was just saying that because everything else in the room was a complete disaster. "Um, so did you want anything? Cerise isn't here right now, if you were wondering. She left to get something early in the morning, I think."

"No, I actually wanted to ask you a favor," Cupid said, looking a little worried. She rubbed her back, and Cedar could see that her wings were stuffed behind her baggy shirt. "I know this might seem a little weird, since we're competing and all… but Raven told me that you were a good swimmer, so I was wondering if maybe you could give me some tips?"

"Oh, sure! Of course, don't worry about that being competition and all," Cedar replied. She smiled, glad to know that someone recognized her swimming talent. Although Cedar had been fretting over her swimsuit, she wasn't at all worried about the actual swimming part of the contest - she was the fastest in her summer camp, and she might have even joined the swim team if she wasn't so involved with Arts & Crafts. "What do you need to know?"

"Well… anything, really," Cupid sighed. "I'm not a fairy good swimmer at all. I try to avoid bodies of water when I can."

"Hmm… how about I teach you some tricks at the lake?" Cedar suggested. She hadn't really been thinking about practice, but now that Cupid needed her help, it seemed like the best thing to do. Cedar really wanted to put off cleaning this mess up in their dorm as long as she could anyway.

"Would you really?" asked Cupid; Cedar nodded earnestly. "You don't have to do it just for me, but if it's no trouble… I could really use all the help I can get. Thanks so much!"

"No problem! Let's go to the north bay. It's kind of far, but I like its layout the best and not a lot of people go there."

"Okay," Cupid agreed, looking like she didn't know a lake - must less a north bay - even existed at Ever After High. They were about to leave when Cedar stopped and remembered herself.

"Um… could you just wait a splinter outside? I'm going to change into something longer on the bottom, so…" she stammered.

Cupid waved her away. "Yeah, no problem!"

* * *

><p>Apple White was voted out.<p>

_Apple White _was voted out of Miss Ever After.

Duchess kept repeating those extraordinary words in her head, her initial disbelief steadily transforming into pure ecstasy. _Apple was out! Oh, thank you merciful world, thank you school's (probably) contaminated drinking water, thank you, thank you, thank you!_ Everything she had ever dreamed was falling into place, everything she had scarcely dared to hope for was all coming true - Apple was out, she was in, and that meant _she _beat _Apple White_. Nothing could stop her from claiming Miss Ever After now! _Nothing!_

Nothing.

Nothing…

Did Grimm say they were _swimming_ next?

As soon as Duchess found out what their second competition would be, her happy thoughts quickly spiralled into something more along the lines of _"shit fuck shit shit fuck damn it godmother you are dead to me, fuck you to the sky"_ and all the joy she had felt about Apple losing flew right straight out the window. In the morning she mechanically found and changed into a bathing suit that she had purchased purely for show, wondering what she was going to do.

Duchess Swan couldn't swim. Or at least not in her human form - she could swim as a swan, she could even _walk on water_ as a human… but she couldn't swim. Headmaster Grimm had mentioned that all forms of magical and non-magical swimming enhancements were banned. Duchess wasn't sure if turning into a swan fell under the category of magical enhancement - if anything, it made her slow and completely unable to perform any stroke properly - but she didn't want to risk it; that, and humiliating herself by swimming as a bird while all the other contestants swam like normal people wasn't exactly on the top of her list of Great Things To Do anyway. Simply walking across the surface of the pool didn't seem like a viable option, either: her ballet-slash-physics-slash-ninja classes stressed that it was a technique that couldn't be performed in even the most slightly turbulent waters, and the school pool was bound to be rippling after sending in eight other swimming contestants. Unless she could somehow learn how to swim in the few hours before the contest started, there weren't many options.

"Swimming can't be that hard," Duchess decided angrily. She had a chance of ruling the school now and she wasn't about to throw it away for anything. She was going to learn or _die trying_.

Finding an instructor was not as easy. Duchess wasn't friends with any of the other girls - it was beneath her to ask her competition for help anyway - but that left scarcely few people to recruit in such short notice. Just as she decided she would go to the lake and learn herself, a familiar flash of green and red appeared from behind a tree.

"Sparrow?" she asked. Before he had time to finish saying 'hey, Duchess,' she had another idea and grabbed his arm and yanked him down the path. "Listen, I need you to teach me how to swim _right now_. You can have any ring in my collection if you can do it. Deal?"

"Uh… sure?" It wasn't like she was not already dragging him along, so… he shrugged. A swimming lesson was probably the most benign request she ever made so far, considering the jealous schemes she was usually up to.

It didn't take them very long to reach the east bay of the Enchanted Forest's largest lake. Duchess stepped over an unconscious Briar Beauty - god knows why she was there in the first place - and waded into the water. Sparrow left his guitar at the tree and followed closely behind her.

She stopped when the lake reached her chest and turned around. "So. How do you swim?"

"Okay, so… you want to move your arms like this and kick your legs, right?" Sparrow started demonstrating windmill motions with his arms. Duchess didn't look impressed. "And… you do that to keep yourself afloat. Well, there are other strokes you can do, but that one is the easiest. Look, it would be easier just to show you."

Twenty minutes later, Sparrow realized he wasn't getting that ring any time soon.

The two of them were still standing at the shallow end of the lake, only now they were both completely soaked from head to toe - Duchess from nearly drowning at least thirty times in a row, and Sparrow from having to dive and rescue her each time. The girl couldn't swim at all (she couldn't even dog paddle!), and every attempt to stay afloat ended in her sinking like a rock. He eventually had to hold her up by the waist while she practiced the motions of swimming. The funniest thing was that Duchess's movements looked entirely correctly - they looked far more graceful than his, actually - but she was still failing to stay up for more than a second, and it was clearly frustrating her. Sadly enough, the swan princess really did seem like she was born to drown.

"What were the other strokes you mentioned?" Duchess gasped, reemerging from the lake for the thirty-first time.

"The backstroke?" he suggested. "Maybe you'll swim better on your back. It takes less energy to float on your back than on your front."

Except when Duchess tried, she ended up sinking and inhaling a mouthful of water. He grabbed her arm and she came out sputtering and coughing; Sparrow had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing.

"You liar," she hissed between coughs. He kept his mouth shut, still stifling a laugh. "What else is there?"

"There's… there's the breaststroke," he said finally.

"The _what?"_ Duchess crossed her arms and glared at him. "You're lying. There's no such thing."

"There is!" said Sparrow.

"Well, I don't want to learn it. It sounds perverted." Oh, so _that's_ why she was crossing her arms over her chest? He snickered.

"Let's just try freestyle again," he suggested, ignoring her death stares. "The only one left I know is the butterfly… and trust me, you won't be able to do the butterfly at this rate."

"What's the butterfly?" Duchess wanted to know.

"It's… I don't know? Basically the unholy love child of the front-crawl and the breaststroke? ...And you still can't do either of them," Sparrow sighed. "Look, forget about it. Not a lot of casual swimmers know how to do it…"

He regretted those words almost as soon as they were said; there was a glint in her eye that told him he had (in her mind) introduced an opportunity to shine above most "casual swimmers."

"So? Teach me anyway."

* * *

><p>Cerise kept to herself as she skimmed the brightly lit aisles of Book End Boutique, searching desperately for a certain piece of swim gear among clothing displays. She had waved away the store helpers when they asked if she needed any help and was now regretting it - there was no swim wear in sight, seeing that they were still in the middle of autumn and all. After reaching the last aisle with no luck, Cerise turned around and headed for the door. If she couldn't find it at Fair &amp; Fit either, she might have to forfeit the next round…<p>

"Hello, Cerise!" came a familiar chipper voice. Cerise looked up and saw that Blondie was skipping down the street and waving at her. "Are you looking for swimsuits, too?"

"Um… sort of. They weren't selling them here, though," she answered. She was just about leave when Blondie hooked her arm around hers.

"Wait, hold on a sec! I know the storekeeper here - I did a report on their hexcellent skirt designs over the MirrorNet last year - and I _know_ she'll have something for us in the storage room," she said, leading Cerise back into the store. Noticing the wary expression on Cerise's face, she added: "Oh, no worries - I love helping people get things _just_ right! And I'm getting a new swimsuit for myself, too."

"It's… not exactly a swimsuit I'm looking for," Cerise admitted, slipping out of Blondie's grasp. "I'm looking for a swim cap. For… my hair." And, you know, her ears.

"Ooh, good idea! I wouldn't want that chlorine damaging my hair either." Blondie tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. "I'm sure she'll have those in stock. You have to be careful when buying one, though. A lot of them don't fit tight enough… one time I got one that was all wrong, and it slipped right off while I was swimming in the lake!"

"R-really?" That sounded really, really bad. If _her_ swim cap slipped off during the contest… Cerise shuddered to think what would happen. Maybe she really should forfeit Miss Ever After?

"Don't look so worried! We'll find one _just_ right for you," said Blondie encouragingly, re-hooking Cerise's arm and pulling her to the front desk. "Excuse me! Hilda, are you there?"

Five minutes and many exchanged pleasantries later, the two girls were inside the storage room. The store owner had the boxes filled with swim gear set down for the girls; Blondie was now going through each and every article, rejecting them all for one reason or another. Cerise literally had no idea how she ended up in this situation.

"Not good material. That one will definitely leak," the blonde said, wrinkling her nose. Cerise set down the blue latex cap in the growing pile of rejects and held up a new one.

"Too small! Could you really fit your all hair in that?" A pale yellow cap was added to the pile. Cerise grabbed another for Blondie's judgement, although she was really beginning to wonder if they would ever find a suitable swim cap.

"Oh, the color is just dreadful on that one! A total fairy-fail!" Blondie shook her head and pointed at the reject pile.

"I don't care about the color. Is it alright otherwise?" Cerise sighed.

Blondie just pouted. "When it comes to shopping, you can't settle for anything less than perfection! Let me look through that, I'm sure I'll find something…"

She grabbed the box out of Cerise's arms and began tossing swim caps over her shoulder at incredible speeds. Was it even possible to judge something that fast? Either way, Cerise scooted away and narrowly dodged a bright pink cap that went bouncing off the wall. She pulled her hood down and opened a new box, dumping the contents on the dusty floor.

It was filled with various one-pieces. More out of boredom than anything, she began looking through the collection. Most of them were a plain solid color, although a few were striped and patterned. Cerise found an orange floral one that looked sort of familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before. Ten more minutes passed as she amused herself by sorting the collection into three piles: ones she would wear, ones she would not wear, and ones that deserved to be thrown in a bonfire.

Just as Cerise pulled out what looked like a spacesuit (definitely going into the bonfire pile), a girly shriek pierced the room and just about scared the living daylights out of her.

"What?" she growled, dropping the suit and glaring at Blondie.

Luckily, the daughter of Goldilocks was too busy admiring the swim cap in her hands to notice her shopping partner's wolfish reaction. "This! This has just the right color, material, and size for you. What do you think?"

She dropped a red cap into Cerise's lap. To be completely honest, Cerise didn't think looked much different from the dozens she had rejected, but if it was good enough to pass Blondie's scrutiny, it was certainly good enough for her. "Thanks. I'll try it."

"What have you been looking through?" Blondie inquired, peering over at the piles of swimsuits that she had left over. She grabbed the spacesuit on the floor and held it up against the light. "Ooh! Is this what I've been looking for?"

"You've been looking for… that?" Cerise raised both eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes, just that! Look how soft it is and how well is stretches! It'll be perfect for my new swimsuit… oh, how did you find this?" Blondie gushed, turning the… Cerise hoped it wasn't really a spacesuit? _thing_ back and forth. "Look at how water-dynamic it is! Is it the right size, though? I do like the color… I'm going to try it out right now!"

Just then, Hilda poked her head into the door. "Have you found what you needed? -_ oh my Grimm, _why is there swimming caps all over the place!?"

"Yes!" Blondie jumped up with cap and the full-body suit, while Cerise looked thoroughly uncomfortable. "We'll take these two for changing, please!"

"The… the changing rooms are over there. Wait - hey! You're going to clean this up, aren't you? Wait, don't go now! _Blondie!"_

* * *

><p>Ashlynn missed her friends at breakfast; she had been caught up tending to a young injured fox in the woods. The young Cinderella was extremely glad that she had been wearing simple clothes on top of her swimsuit and not her usual attire, which would have promptly transformed into rags for coming late to the breakfast hall. The lunch ladies were already cleaning up the tables when she finally made it.<p>

Ashlynn smiled apologetically at them, grabbed a modest meal - just a tray with orange juice and a small fruit tart - and sat down eating as quickly as she could.

"_This day isn't going at all how I expected,"_ she thought ruefully as she chewed her pastry. Ashlynn had planned on getting a more substantial breakfast and heading off to practice swimming at the forest's lake, but she had lost track of time with the poor fox. She really needed that practice to work on her strokes; although Ashlynn was a decent swimmer from her time spent with her aquatic friends, she had never bothered to learn to the more fanciful techniques that the judges might be looking for.

Maybe she could ask the local fish to help teach her? She hadn't planned on it, but at this rate asking them for advice was better than nothing. Ashlynn was personally acquainted with the school of fish that lived at the lake's western bay - she had enjoyed digging up worms for them during last year's spring break, back when they were still tiny little hatchlings. It was a shame she hadn't the time to check up on them again this year… Ashlynn always worried about how her freshwater friends would survive the winter, which was coming up soon.

"_Then it's settled,"_ she decided, finishing the last crumbs of her breakfast. She stood up with her now-finished tray, carefully separated the recyclables from trash, and whisked out of the building.

The trip to the west bay was shorter than she had anticipated, considering that it was the furthest away from the school. Ashlynn noticed some of other contestants practicing at the eastern and northern sections while she was making her trek and was doubly glad that her own destination was far away - how embarrassing it would be if they found out that these little fish were giving her swimming lessons! (Not that she was embarrassed because they were fish, but rather because the they were a good five years younger than her - in fish years.)

When she finally arrived to the familiar-looking clearing at the west bay, Ashlynn stooped down and, after checking that no one else was around, gave a series of clicking noises over the water. Within seconds, a mass of swirling silver emerged from underneath the rocks and pooled before her.

"Hello, you guys!" Ashlynn grinned, noticing that they had all grown at least an inch since she'd last seen them.

Cries of _"Miss Ashlynn! Miss Ashlynn!"_ bubbled to the surface. One of the fish piped, _"where have you been all this time?"_

"I've been really busy with Legacy year," she sighed, dipping her hand into the water and allowing them to swarm between her fingers. "I'm so sorry I haven't been here to see you. Have you all been alright? Do you need me to keep you guys in an aquarium for the winter?"

"_Don't worry, we'll be fine!"_ the largest fish replied. _"Only the top of the lake freezes during winter! It's all nice and cozy down here."_

"_Are you and Mr. Hunter still canon?"_ another asked, staring up at her with his large eyes.

Ashlynn laughed nervously. "Yes, we're still together, if that's what you're asking."

The school fish cheered and broke into excited glubs. _"See! I told you this ship wouldn't sink!" "OTP." "Will you guys just stop being shippers on deck for a moment?" _(She had never quite picked up their cute fish slang with all their ship-this and ship-that's, but it was certainly amusing to watch them chatter about it.)

"Enough about us, though," Ashlynn interjected, remembering the reason she came in the first place. "Do you guys think you can do me a huge favor? I'm entering a swimming contest soon, and I don't know how to do the breaststroke or the backstroke… do any of you have tips?"

The fish stopped. They looked hesitant, then quickly lapsed into whispers with one another - it was a habit of theirs, Ashlynn knew, to consult with everyone in the school before making important decisions. One of them spoke up: _"None of us know how to swim on our backs, Miss Ashlynn, but we could teach you how to swim like us! Want us to?"_

"Oh! Well…" She considered it; the way they swam _was_ similar to the breaststroke, although she would need to make a few modifications here and there. Looking back, it was actually a pretty silly idea to expect to learn how to technique-swim from fish - but Ashlynn looked at their hopeful faces and decided that she wanted to spend time with them anyway. "Of course I do! Thank you all!"

* * *

><p>"Ergh… maybe, try keeping your body more… horizontal?"<p>

Cedar cringed as Cupid went plunging head-first into the water. They were at the north bay like they had planned, but practice wasn't going as smoothly as Cedar hoped. The rose-haired girl resurfaced, gasping.

"This is no use," Cupid moaned, clinging onto a rock for support. She flapped her damp wings in weak attempt to dry them.

Cedar waded over to her friend and tried to think what she was going wrong. The thing was that Cupid _could_ swim, but only for brief periods of time - she just didn't go very fast and tired out easily. It was hard to see her strokes because her wings crashed against the water while she was swam. In fact, if anything, those wings looked like they must be really heavy and cumbersome while swimming.

"Are your wings dragging you down?" Cedar considered.

"I don't know. I've always had them, so I can't tell," sighed Cupid. She reached around and squeezed out the water that had gotten themselves lodged between her feathers. "Do you think they are?"

Cedar shrugged helplessly. In hindsight, she probably wasn't the best teacher for the job - while she was able to float effortlessly because her body was made of magical wood, it seemed like Cupid was struggling because she had extra appendages pulling her down. Was there any way to make her wings more water-dynamic?

"I thought your feathers might repel water at first," Cedar rambled, trying to remember what she knew about Chemythstry. "But I guess that's not how it works…"

"Only the ones out here do," said Cupid, gesturing to the longer and shinier feathers that covered the back of her wings. Looking closer, she noticed that the fluffy down feathers that cushioned the inner-front half of her wings were the only ones that were soaked. Hmm…

"Wait a splinter! I have an idea!" Cedar pulled Cupid - who was beginning to panic - away from the rock she was holding onto and tried balancing her on her back. "Keep your wings still, and maybe you'll be able to stay up better! Ouch - please stop kicking me - "

"Cedar, stop, no I'll sink - !" But when Cedar let go, she did not sink; Cupid peeked open her eyes when she realized she was feeling quite… light. She blinked; everything appeared upside-down, but there was now an odd force pushing up against her wings. "Wha… what?"

"You're floating!" Cedar cheered.

"I'm… I'm floating!" Cupid repeated, flapping her wings in excitement (which sent her plummeting back into the water).

"Maybe you should keep your wings flat," suggested Cedar, helping her rebalance herself on the lake's surface. Cupid was eventually able to stay up without any help, but she kept her arms and legs stretched out rigidly in fear of sinking. "That's a lot better than before, but you'll have to move your limbs if you want to go anywhere. How about I teach you the backstroke?"

"The backstroke?" Cupid breathed from the corner of her mouth, as if talking too loudly would cause her to suddenly drown.

"Don't worry, it'll be easy!" The wooden girl flipped on her back so that she was on the same level as Cupid. "Let's start by moving those arms…"

* * *

><p>"Hey, Maddie! There you are - I was looking all over for you."<p>

Raven walked into the school's back garden, wearing nothing but a striped towel over her bikini and sandals on her feet. Maddie was sitting by a small table where she was having tea with Earl Gray; she waved when she noticed Raven heading her way.

"Hello, Raven! Would you like to join us for some tea?" Maddie asked cheerily, pushing forward a cup and saucer. (Strangely, the cup was underneath the saucer and not the other way around.)

"Thanks." Her friend took the drink with a smile after carefully reversing the placement of the tea and the plate. She took a sip; it was slightly mint-flavored. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some practice in with me before the contest later? We can still get a ten-minute swim if we leave for the lake soon."

"Practice sounds like a tea-riffic idea!" Maddie agreed, taking another sip. "But Raven, why ever would we need to go to the lake? We can practice swimming right here!"

"Oh, uh…" Raven looked around the garden, but there were no bodies of water in sight - unless Maddie was talking about the shallow fountain by the rose bushes, which only went two feet deep at most. Or maybe she was talking about the mint tea they were drinking…? It was hard to tell with her sometimes.

Seeing the look of apprehension on Raven's face, the curly-haired girl downed the last of her drink and daintily tapped the corners of her mouth with a cloth produced out of nowhere. "In our _minds_, I mean! We can practice by imagining that we're swimming instead of actually doing it. It would conserve our energy much better, am I right?"

"Oh!" Raven was actually just relieved that she wasn't suggesting they create a tea-pool or something. "I… never thought about that. It _would_ save our energy, I guess, but would just thinking about it really help us swim better in the contest?"

Maddie nodded earnestly. "It really does. Why, it's common Wonderlandian knowledge that you don't actually need to practice to get in some practice!"

"Advice coming from a place that's currently considered hazard area isn't exactly reassuring, Maddie," Raven said.

"Trust me on this one! I read an article on _The Star Legender_ proving it true just last week, too. Or… was that last year?" Maddie frowned, then shrugged. "I _know_ I know it works, Raven."

She sighed and relented. "Fine, let's do that." Walking all the way to the lake and back for a measly ten-minute swimming session wasn't really the best trade off anyway, Raven decided. She finished the last of her tea as well and set the empty cup on the table. "So, do you just close your eyes and imagine swimming, or…?"

Maddie nodded, and the both of them closed their eyes. "You have to imagine swimming with _intent_. Imagine you're doing everything from the beginning: you're standing at the edge of the pool, then you dive right in and feel the shock of freezing water! Pretend you're moving your arms against the tide and kicking your legs as fast as you can…"

Raven imagined it: moving her arms, kicking her legs, feeling the cold water against her skin. Her thoughts stayed like that for another five minutes - moving arms, kicking legs, moving arms, kicking legs. It was actually a lot more difficult than she anticipated. Her mind kept straying off focus every minute or so; as it turned out, the task of imagining swimming wasn't an incredibly interesting one.

"Maddie, my head hurts," she said after a while.

Maddie peeked one eye open. "Don't give up yet, it hasn't even been ten minutes! We'll have to swim for much longer than that in the contest, you know."

Raven rubbed her forehead. She could already tell that this was going to be a painfully long practice…

* * *

><p><em>[15 minutes before the start of the contest…]<em>

The bleachers were completely filled on the day of the swimming event. It was, with little doubt, the most popular competition in Miss Ever After; in fact, upon closer inspection, one might notice that the demographics of the crowd had… shifted. While the evening dress contest had drawn in those interested in seeing the opening of the school's renewed pageant, the swimming contest drew in those merely interested in seeing the contestant in their swimsuits. That being said, the audience was decidedly and predominantly male.

"Have you seen Hopper?" Hunter asked Dexter. They were both sitting on the fourth row bleachers, which seemed entirely filled except for one seat. "He asked me to save a seat for him, so I've had to turn down at least five other people who asked for it… and let me tell you, those guys look pissed."

Dexter noticed - there were a few stragglers at the sides of the bleachers who kept throwing angry glares at the two of them. "No, I haven't. Maybe he got… stepped on?"

Hunter cringed. "I sure hope not. If he's not here by the start of the contest, I'll have to give up his seat before somebody ends our stories prematurely."

Among the stragglers was a completely drenched Sparrow Hood, who was climbing his way up the fifth, sixth, and seventh row. He noticed his bandmates waving at him on the eighth row of bleachers and walked to them.

"Dude, why are you soaking wet?" one of them asked, eying his bandleader with surprise.

Sparrow shrugged and sat down. "Let's… just watch the show."

Down at the crystal pool, the contestants trickled in one by one and gathered at the foot of the water. Most of the girls had turned up in bikinis, with the exception of Cedar (who had opted for a more modest two-piece) and Blondie (who, to everyone's surprise, had turned up in a full body swimsuit).

"Uh… wow, Blondie," Raven commented. "I didn't know you had something like that just for swimming."

"Well, I do need to keep this Royal body _just_ right," Blondie replied cheerily. "I don't want to risk getting a nasty sunburn after all! But really, I just picked it up while I was going shopping with Cerise - doesn't it look fableous?"

The girls (and the disappointed males in the audience) reserved their judgement on that. Ashlynn was off to the side, admiring Cerise's new red swimcap.

"I saw that one in the store during summer - they say it was made without any animal testing," she said. Ashlynn twirled her own strawberry-blonde locks a little ruefully. "Getting a swim cap was a good idea. I completely forgot our hair might drag us down."

"Um, yeah," Cerise replied nervously, tugging down the edges of her cap. "For… my hair."

Maddie was walking around and counting the contestants. "Four… two… eleven… eight," she muttered. "Hmm, eight… is that right? No, no, it isn't. I do believe we are missing someone!"

"Missing someone?" Cupid repeated. She turned looked around and started counting as well. "...Hey, you're right! Where's Briar?"

* * *

><p>"Briar! Oh, fairest Briar Beauty, you simply must wake up!"<p>

Hopper Croakington II's warbling cries had no effect on the snoring brunette, who was still sprawled on the dirt ground by the lake's east bay. The green frog hopped around helplessly, trying to drag her arm but completely unable to in his tiny reptilian form. Blast! If only he had not immediately started sputtering when he noticed Briar's unconscious form, he might've been able to lift her all the way there. It was only ten minutes before the start of the swimming contest - Hopper had been heading to the event himself when he noticed her.

"Briar, you shall be too late for the competition if you sleep any longer," he tried saying to her, but Briar continued snoozing. He gave up trying to move her arm and sat on the grass, adjusting his crown. "What can I do to possibly awaken you…?" He tried to think of something that might work. "Let's see… Briar, there shall be a grand party held at the school's swimming pool!"

She muttered something in her sleep - for a second, he thought he had succeeded - but then merely rolled over and continued snoring.

"Perhaps a party song?" Hopper wondered. He didn't know any good party songs, but there was no time to waste - time was a cruel master, ticking away the seconds that Briar was was still clocked out on the ground. "Oh, ribbit. Here it goes:

"_You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your right hand in and you shake it all about…"_

To Hopper's great delight, Briar sat up almost immediately after the first verse and languidly stretched her arms. "Woh…" (she yawned) "...Worst party _ever _after. Who's singing that?"

"Briar, you awaken! You must depart immediately!" he blurted, hopping into her blurry vision. She blinked a few times and yawned again. "The pool! Go to the school's crystalline swimming pool!"

"The pool?" she repeated, wrapping her arms around herself when she realized how cold she was. "Why would I go to the… _oh my godmother, the contest!"_

Briar scrambled to her feet as if hit by a lightning bolt, checking down and remembering that she had left her flip-flops at the tree. She ran her fingers through her hair once to remove whatever dirt and twigs had lodged themselves there, then dashed off to fetch her footwear.

"Thanks, Hopper!" she added as she frantically tried to put both her flip-flops on the same foot. Before he could reply, Briar was gone.

"Oh… you're welcome," he said to the empty air. It was going to take forever to get to the contest in his frog form, Hopper noted glumly, but at least Briar might not be late now. He started making his slow, slow path back to the school - maybe he would be able to catch the elimination if he went quickly enough?

Just then, the flash of pink and brown came back. She scooped him up and planted a firm kiss on his amphibian head.

"I almost forgot," Briar panted as he fell, suddenly human again, against the dirt floor. She was already turning around when he realized what had happened. "You want to watch, don't you? C'mon, let's get a move on!"

* * *

><p>The other contestants didn't have long to wonder about the young Sleeping Beauty's absence; Headmaster Grimm (who was still in his normal outfit, except now there was a silver whistle hanging from his neck) was now walking into the scene with three teachers and, for some reason, Daring Charming following him. Daring was wearing red swimming trunks and carried a rescue buoy underneath an arm. They headed toward the judges' table and began sorting out the papers and microphones for the event. The audience somehow seemed to become louder and quieter at the same time - several people had stopped talking aloud upon Grimm's arrival, but several others more started whispering excitedly to one another in anticipation for the contest.<p>

"Guys!" came a short gasp. The girls turned around and saw Briar racing to the pool (along with Hopper, for some reason). Her friends frantically beckoned her over.

"You made it in the nick of time!" one of them whispered as Briar kneeled over to catch her breath. Grimm hadn't looked over from the judges' table yet - he was currently fitting Daring into an elevated lifeguard seat - so she wiped her brow triumphantly and slowly climbed to her feet.

("Hopper, over here!" Hunter and Dexter waved at him from the bleachers. Hopper noticed them and walked over to where they had his seat saved.

"What took you so long?" Hunter asked.

Hopper exhaled and gently brought a hand to his forehead. "I'm never washing my face again," he breathed dreamily, while his friends scratched their heads in confusion.)

When everything finally settled together at the front table, Grimm turned around and the whole crowd became silent. He adjusted the speaker around his neck, then began to talk:

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the second event of Miss Ever After - the Swim Contest!" His voice reverberated across the school grounds among renewed cheers. "Thank you. Now, before we begin, allow me to explain the rules of this competition. In a few minutes, the contestants will enter the pool and be asked to demonstrate their water skills in a modified individual medley. For those of you who don't know what that is, it means they will be asked to perform different strokes for each lap. There will be four laps total in this contest, and each lap is approximately fifty meters."

Of all the girls, only Cedar looked surprised at this comment - in fact, except for the most experienced swimmers, the majority of the audience didn't appear phased either. They were expected to swim _two hundred_ meters straight in four different strokes? Although Cedar knew she could do it, that was far too much to expect from casual swimmers, not to mention people like Cupid who had just learned this morning…

"However, due to some… _issues_ we found in past competitions, there will be some special modifications in the normal medley rules for the event," Grimm continued, as if reading her mind. "First of all, the stroke order will be freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and then butterfly. Any stroke, including the backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, may be used for the freestyle event. Once you reach the end of the pool, you will wait for the other contestants to finish - once everyone has finished the lap, I will give the next set of instructions.

"If you feel you cannot continue for any reason, you may exit the pool after you have finished your lap. However, contestants who leave prematurely will not be allowed back into the pool. Your performance will be evaluated by the three judges here at the judges' table - " (cue the teachers, Professor Jack B. Nimble, Coach Gingerbread Man, and the Big Bad Wolf, waving at the audience) " - and your scores will be revealed at the end of the round."

"I will be keeping track of your swimming speed," said Professor Nimble, tapping the stopwatch in his hand. "You can't swim well and swim slow at the same time, or so I say!"

"I'll be watching for your endurance," Coach Gingerbread Man announced. "If you don't balance your energy you won't be able to make it through all four laps! And if someone's ever trying to eat you, you'd better not lose steam halfway or they'd gobble you right up - "

"And don't forget about your technique," growled the Big Bad Wolf, cutting right in. "I'll be watching you ve-e-ery closely… and if I catch you slipping up on your stroke, you'll be losing major points from me."

"Yes, thank you," Grimm resumed. "As you just heard, the judges will be grading you primarily on your speed, skill, and endurance. A note about that last criteria: even if you cannot perform the stroke for the round, you are encouraged to make the lap anyway with any stroke of your choosing so you can still be graded for your endurance. Your final score will be determined holistically by all three judges at the end of the round. Is this all clear?"

The girls nodded, most of them appearing somewhat nervous. Headmaster Grimm cleared his throat.

"Now, there is no need for worry about your safety in this event. In the case of an emergency, your exemplary classmate Mr. Charming will be there to rescue you." Daring flashed his glittering smile at the crowd from his position at the lifeguard seat, eliciting multiple cries of "ouch!" and "my eyes!" from the audience. Some of the contestants looked relieved while others rolled their eyes. Grimm blew his whistle and glared at Daring, who merely laughed and crossed his arms.

"If you're all ready, please line up at the edge of the pool!" The contestants did as they were told. Grimm pulled a starting pistol out of his pocket and held it in the air. "Again, the first round is the freestyle. Any stroke is acceptable for the freestyle. You must swim until you reach the end of the pool and then wait for the other girls to finish before receiving the next instructions. At the sound of the gun fire, you may begin. Ready… set… _go!"_

The gun went off. Cerise and Cedar both dove in without any hesitation; Raven and Ashlynn quickly slipped in after them; Briar let out a whoop and jumped in with a great cannonball; Duchess did a pirouette into the pool; Maddie seemed to walk straight into the water without altering her step; Cupid eased in nervously; and Blondie walked down the aisle, testing the water at various places until she finally declared one area _"just_ right" and jumped right in.

It was by far the most diverse freestyle anyone had ever seen. Cedar quickly pulled ahead of everyone else with a flawless front crawl. Cerise was following in second with less precise but more fierce strokes - walls of water came splashing up every time her arm hit the surface. Briar and Raven were tying for third, also using the front crawl; Briar was swimming with wild abandon while Raven swam methodically in practiced motions. Ashlynn was not going very fast, but her steady pace never slowed down through the entire run. The girls who were lagging behind had the more interesting strokes: Blondie, who was only behind because she had been the last to enter the pool, was now torpedoing through the water. Duchess was swimming with the _butterfly_ of all things, and she wasn't half bad at it - her stroke was graceful and precise, but her timing must have been slightly off because she wasn't moving very fast across the water. Cupid was doing a careful backstroke, her wings fanned out just like they had been in practice. Maddie… well, nobody quite knew what Maddie was doing, but she was swimming on her back with her arms crossed and propelling herself entirely with her legs. It was rather impressive how she was going anywhere at all without using her arms, but her progress was decidedly the slowest.

Soon most of the girls reached the end of the pool and held onto the sides, waiting and catching their breaths. When the last girl - in this case, Maddie - finished, Grimm blew his whistle and announced the next task:

"Now swim back using the backstroke. A reminder that even if you don't know the backstroke, it is advisable to swim the length anyway so the judges can grade your endurance. Ready… set… go!"

The girls swam back. Cedar was again the first in line, this time swimming a professional-looking backstroke; this event was clearly playing in her favor. Cerise went a little more slowly this time with a clumsier backstroke. Raven swam as smoothly as she did the first run, but her energy seemed to taper off toward the end. Now that everyone had to swim with the backstroke this round, Cupid slowly pulled forward into fourth place. Maddie also came closer to the front with a decent (and decidedly much more normal) backstroke. Blondie seemed to try to emulate Cedar's perfect swimming but gave up as halfway through she flipped around and continued in her torpedoing front crawl. Briar switched easily into the backstroke and swam lazily this time, looking like she was enjoying herself. Duchess swam again with the butterfly, while Ashlynn, after hesitating, decided to continue using the front crawl instead of attempting a stroke she had never practiced.

The contestants were showing more signs of exhaustion when they reached the end for the second time. Each lap was fifty meters, so everybody who finished both rounds had already done one hundred.

"I'm… done," Cupid gasped, clinging onto the edge. "I can only do the backstroke, and I'm really beat…"

Daring stepped down and helped her out of the pool. The audience clapped politely, seeing that she had tried her best. Cupid accepted the towel gratefully and wrung out what looked like a whole gallon of water out of her wings before sitting on contestant bench.

"Very well," Grimm said. "For the rest of you who are still willing to compete, the next task is the breaststroke. If you don't know the stroke, the rules are the same as before - we will still be testing you on endurance. You will not be allowed to reenter the pool after you leave. Ready… set… go!"

Only Cedar was able to perfectly execute the breaststroke in the third round. Cerise was again second, making up her lack of technique with her forceful strength. Maddie pulled ahead of Raven, who was beginning to lose steam and reverted to the dog paddle before she reached the end. Ashlynn fared better, swimming a steady - if not slightly slow - breaststroke (it seemed as though the fish were able to teach her something after all). Duchess gritted her teeth and again took off in butterfly, only allowing herself to rest once she reached the end, while Blondie took a few more seconds to catch her breath before continuing. Briar seemed to be doing fine, if not better than most of the other girls, until two thirds down the pool when she started slowing down dramatically.

"_So tired,"_ Briar thought to herself as she swam. Geez, who knew swimming could do that much to a girl? She was incredibly tired… it was really strange, she was completely fine until now, so…

...crap. She was falling asleep, wasn't she?

Before she could do anything to prevent it, Briar started losing the feeling in her arms - her vision, too, began swimming. Her head sank below the water and didn't come back up.

It took almost five seconds before somebody realized that Briar had stopped and shouted, "She's sinking!". Grimm hastily ripped away Daring's handheld mirror and pointed at the drowning girl, and he immediately jumped in to retrieve her.

Briar came out coughing but otherwise mostly alright. Headmaster Grimm handed her a towel and lead her to the bench, where Cupid patted her back as she groaned.

"No harm done," Grimm announced to the crowd and the scared-looking girls in the pool. "She will be alright. No worries, there's only one more round in this event - although I advise anyone else who is feeling fatigued to leave now before we have to repeat this incident."

("This is torture," Hunter whispered worriedly. Hopper was now in frog form and breathing into a paper bag. "If Ash - er, _any_ other girl starts to drown, I swear I'll jump in after her myself! I can't watch this!"

"They really should've just stuck with the swimsuit contest," Sparrow noted to his band, watching how many of the remaining girls seemed barely able to hold onto the edge of the pool.

"You got that right," his back-up guitarist agreed. "Hey, do any of you know why Swan is always doing the butterfly?"

Sparrow scratched his cheek. "Yeah, see, about that…")

A number of girls took his advice and climbed out of the pool. Raven and Blondie collapsed as soon as they got out and practically crawled to the bench. Ashlynn, although not incredibly tired, erred on the side of caution and left as well.

The four girls left were Cedar, who was breathing harder but still willing to compete; Cerise, who was athletic enough that she was easily the least exhausted of all the girls; Duchess, who was determined to swim the butterfly round despite being out of breath; and Maddie.

Grimm blew his whistle again. "The fourth and final lap will be the butterfly. Ready… set… go!"

Cedar kicked off the wall and swam a good, although not entirely perfect, butterfly - it was her least favorite stroke and therefore the least practiced. Cerise took one look at her friend's stroke and decided to do the front crawl instead, eventually pulling ahead of Cedar. Duchess again did the butterfly stroke with grace despite her gasping and panting. Maddie flipped around and swam her unusual no-hands style again.

Luckily there were no more drowning incidents, and all four contestants made it soundly to the end of the pool. Daring led (or in Duchess's case, practically carried - as soon as she got out of the water she collapsed exhausted on the ground and refused to move an inch) the girls to the bench, where the other contestants were clapping for them.

"A round of applause for our contestants," Headmaster Grimm said, and the crowd erupted into relieved cheers. The judges finally set down their pens and clapped as well. After the applause died down, he turned his attention back to the girls. "Yes, well done to all of you. The judges will now take a few minutes to compare their scores and decide the elimination. Until then…" (he stepped aside to reveal a table of refreshments, which included a tall jug of lemonade and several sandwiches) "...you may help yourselves."

Grateful, the contestants slowly stood up to grab the food. The audience fell into excited chatters. After they had staved off the worst of their hunger, the girls also took turns congratulating each other between sips of lemonade.

"If they had winners for each round, you would definitely have this one in the bag," Raven told Cedar, smiling.

The daughter of Pinocchio was modest. "Thanks, Raven! I mean, it's really mostly thanks to my wooden body in the end. You did really well yourself."

"This sandwich is wonderlandiful!" Maddie declared, looking down at her food. "I might even say it's the best I've ever had. What do you two think?"

"I think it's just because food always tastes a lot better after a good swim," Cedar laughed, and Raven took a curious bite into her own sandwich.

Meanwhile Blondie was trying to hold a conversation with both Cerise and Duchess at the same time, although she really did most of the talking herself.

"Cerise, you know you can take your cap off now that the contest is over! Doesn't it start to pinch your hair after a while?" Blondie said. "Wow, Duchess, is that your third glass? You really must have worked your crown off there!"

Cerise shook her head and mumbled something like "at my dorm," while Duchess was busy downing her third cup of lemonade in one gulp.

Briar had almost fully recovered and was now laughing away Ashlynn and Cupid's continued concerns.

"Just some bad luck that I fell asleep," she sighed.

"You fell _asleep?"_ Ashlynn exclaimed.

"It happens sometimes. I forgot to watch for that," Briar admitted. She peered admiringly at the sparkling pool. "Hey, now that the contest is over, you think we can go back in just for fun?"

"You want to go _back!?"_ Cupid looked horrified.

Others in the audience kept turning their heads toward the judges' table, but it was difficult to tell what was going on. Coach Gingerbread Man kept lashing his arms across the desk to grab various papers, Professor Nimble seemed to be trying to reassemble his stopwatch with a stick, and the Big Bad Wolf had both his hands clapped over his face in a double-facepalm. Headmaster Grimm stood a few paces away from them, looking like he wanted nothing to do with what was going on. Still, the scores were eventually settled and they judges walked over to Grimm with the results. The Headmaster skimmed over the paper once, then cleared his throat over the microphone.

"_**AHEM."**_

All heads swivelled to the judges' table. One of the girls stopped mid-bite into their sandwich.

"Thank you," Grimm's voice boomed through the microphone. "The results are in. The next contestant to be eliminated is…"

* * *

><p><strong>RESULT OF THE LAST VOTE (EVENING DRESS)<strong>

Apple: 15

Raven: 1

Cerise: 4

Duchess: 6

Cedar: 2

Blondie: 13

Cupid: 2

_(Anyone else not listed received no votes against them.)_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>[VOTING PERIOD IS OVER FOR THIS CHAPTER]<strong>**

_**Very**_** close vote match between Apple and Blondie, but it looks like Apple's out of the running for good. Thanks for the support so far, everyone! I love reading everyone's reviews; it really keeps me motivated when I'm running into a writer's block OTL Please do not submit anymore votes to this event, but you are always free to submit normal reviews and feedback :)**


	4. Disquiet in the Library

"...Blondie Lockes."

"Oh!" Blondie looked surprised and was visibly disappointed, but she remained composed and just smiled sadly. "Well, whatever-after. I knew my strokes were all wrong from the very beginning."

The other girls hugged her and mumbled their condolences. The crowd, seeing how well she was taking the loss, started up a good-natured round of applause. Soon Blondie was back in full spirits; after detaching herself from her ex-fellow contestants, she walked merrily to Headmaster Grimm, who appeared relieved and set his hand on her shoulder. They talked to each other for a moment - nobody could hear what the two were saying - until suddenly, to everybody's surprise, he handed her the microphone.

"Hi! Can everyone hear me just right?" Blondie's voice rang out into the air. She grinned and waved at the confused audience; the contestants were gaping. "Hexcellent! As you all probably know already, this is Blondie Lockes (now officially an ex-contender for Miss Ever After) speaking. And now that I'm out of the contest, I'm happy to inform you all that Headmaster Grimm has asked me to be a co-speaker for the pageant!"

The girls back down at the pool exchanged shocked but amused expressions. None of them had any idea that Blondie intended to be the announcer! Though in hindsight, the position fitted her perfectly. (In fact, Headmaster Grimm had consulted Blondie as soon as Ever After High was renewed and was quite disappointed when he found out she intended to compete rather than host - they had agreed ahead of time that if she got voted out, she would immediately take up the role as the co-speaker.)

The crowd started clapping and cheering. Grimm himself looked the happiest about this arrangement, seeing that he wouldn't have to worry about hyping up the pageant himself from now on. He passed Blondie a stack of papers and sat down at the judge's table.

"The next event is the Research Hunt," Blondie read from the sheet. "Ooh, sounds interesting! Tomorrow at 6:00 PM, all remaining contestants will report just outside the library for instructions about the event. All spectators are asked to go to the Charmitorium, where we'll be recording the proceedings on camera! Now we're not allowed to tell you what the event is going to be exactly… but I can say that it already looks like it'll be a page-ripper!" At this, Grimm cleared his throat and pointed sternly at the paper; Blondie giggled sheepishly and continued reading. "If you're interested in finding out more, come to the Charmitorium at 5:30 - which is when we'll start admitting audience members! Headmaster Grimm also would like to warn you all that you may _not_ report to the library entrance if you are not a contestant. Anyone who is found sneaking around there at the start of the event will get a double-detention on the spot!"

Some of the audience members merely shrugged and smirked at that remark, obviously thinking that double-detention was not much of a threat. A few even began rearranging their schedules so they could visit the library at the time of the event.

"...With the step-librarians!" she added, and everyone suddenly closed their schedule books. "But until then, have a good rest of the afternoon, Ever After High! Contestants, make sure you get a good night's rest for tomorrow - you'll be needing it! After all, this pageant is only just beginning!"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn was the first to arrive at the foot of the library door the next day, thirty minutes ahead of schedule. All of yesterday she and her friends had been discussing about what this "Research Hunt" event could be, and they eventually decided it was probably a scavenger hunt for information. To be completely fair, she didn't think it would be a terribly interesting event if that <em>was<em> the case… but that all was to be decided later.

Grimm and Blondie must've really done a good job threatening people with the double-detention, she thought, noticing how the entire hall was empty of students. Ashlynn leaned against the wall, silently counting away the minutes until the event was to start.

Two minutes in, she picked up the distinct sound of footsteps coming from the distance. Ashlynn looked up, glad that someone else had finally showed up - only to have her expectations totally and utterly crushed when she recognized who it was.

"Hi, Ashlynn," Duchess drawled, stopping at the opposite side of the hallway. She looked bored.

"Hi, Duchess," she replied stiffly. Ever since the events of True Hearts Day, she… wasn't exactly on good terms with Duchess, to say the very least. Ashlynn was kind by nature, but experience had taught her that there was little good in associating with the mean-spirited swan princess. Being alone with her in an empty hallway was not an ideal situation.

"What do you think this event's going to be about?" the marble-haired girl asked. Ashlynn shrugged. "Hmph. You're friends with Blondie, aren't you? She didn't tell you?"

"I didn't ask her about it," she replied, this time a little defensively. _And I certainly wouldn't tell you if I did_. "She wouldn't have told me anyway. It wouldn't be fair."

Duchess looked unimpressed with her response, but she leaned back and let the topic drop. Ashlynn looked away and hoped that someone else would arrive soon, but nobody else was coming. A silence hung over them.

"So what're you in this contest for?" Duchess asked after a while, crossing her arms. "Hoping to make the best of high school now that you've given up your happily ever after?"

"I'm just competing for fun," Ashlynn answered shortly.

"It's all about fun for you girls, isn't it?" she scoffed. Duchess twirled and propped her hands on her hips contemptuously. "I wonder how many princesses don't even care that they have these great endings all set up for them from birth? Just another fact of life, isn't it? I really couldn't believe _you_ would throw it all away, though. Even Little Miss Perfect Apple White had the sense to flip out when she found that Raven was ruining _her_ story."

"Stop. I don't want to talk to you," said Ashlynn, turning away and willing herself to keep calm. Duchess was just a bitter bully who had nothing better to do in her free time.

"You don't have to talk to me, but _I_ can always talk to _you_," came her retort. "Still, it's not like I care. It's better for me that you're throwing away your future! Who knows… if Grimm can't find anyone to replace you, then maybe _I_ can take up your glass slipper. But you'll be happy with your one_ true love_, won't you? Godmother knows _he's_ worth your entire destiny."

"Go away." She was angry now - Ashlynn could take any insult against her own character, but there was no reason to drag Hunter into this. When Duchess giggled and continued mocking her behind her back, she whirled around. "What is _wrong_ with you? What have I ever done to you - what have _any_ of us ever done to you?"

Duchess stopped. Ashlynn looked at her face and thought for a panicked second that she was going to hit her - but then the ballerina smirked and stepped back.

"Don't get your feathers all ruffled. I was just playing," she said.

Ashlynn didn't say anything. All she remembered was that fleeting look of hurt and fury that passed over Duchess's face, just before it fell into her usual look of disdainful pride. It confused her; she _hadn't_ done bad anything to Duchess, ever, except maybe for the times that she brought it completely on herself. Was it because nobody invited her to the True Hearts Day dance that everyone knew she was out to ruin…?

"Um… hi," came another voice, sparing her any further thought on the matter. Cerise had materialized out of the shadows.

"Hey, Cerise," Ashlynn greeted. Duchess didn't acknowledge her presence. Soon the other girls arrived - Raven, Maddie, Cupid and Briar, and finally Cedar coming in last. A comfortable chatter filled the hallway as the contestants argued over what the event might be.

"Knowing Grimm, it's probably going to be a book report," Briar sighed. "Bor-ing!"

"But what about the 'hunt' part?" asked Raven. "Do you think they might ask us to… I dunno, hunt magical creatures or something as part of the project? I was thinking about it last night…"

"Does anyone else feel a strange dark presence right now?" Maddie piped. Ashlynn was about to laugh it off when she realized, to her surprise, that she felt it as well. The girls looked down the hall and saw a shadowy figure approaching them.

"Good evening, contestants," said Headmaster Grimm, after he reached the end of the hallway. He was holding a stack of papers. "I see you have all arrived on time - good. Let me explain your next task."

He handed out the sheets of paper. The girls looked over each other's shoulders and saw they all said the same thing:

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them**_**, by Newt Scamander.**

**TOUCHING RESTRICTED BOOKS WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION.**

"Ahem." Everyone looked back up at Grimm. "Thank you. Your task for this event is to find a copy of the text listed on your paper in the school library. There are a total of seven copies in stock… and as you all know, there are eight contestants. I'm sure you all know what that means."

The girls looked hesitantly at one another. Their task was to… find a library book? What exactly was that supposed to test?

"Now there are some additional… stipulations," the Headmaster continued. "To find these books, you must look in the restricted section." (The girls gasped.) "But! - before you get any ideas - allow me to clarify that _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ is _not_ a restricted book, but it has been moved to the restricted section for the purpose of this event. Secret cameras have been hidden in the library to track your progress. There are three ways you can be disqualified in this event: one, if all the other contestants succeed in retrieving a copy of the book and you are the last one remaining without a copy; two, if the step-librarians kick you out of the library for any reason; and three, if you touch any of the other books in the restricted section - so take care to know what you're grabbing before you remove a book from its shelf." He narrowed his eyes. "Otherwise, there is no time-limit; the event will last until all non-disqualified contestants retrieve a copy of the text. The step-librarians naturally have no idea about this event. If they catch you acting suspiciously, they will most certainly ban you from the library. But other than that, best of luck."

There was a horror-struck silence.

"Nope," said Briar, and she immediately walked back down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Back in the Charmitorium, Blondie was reciting the same rules to the spectators, on top of explaining the multiple mirror screens flashing behind her. The students had never seen the mirrors arranged this way before: along the top of the stage was a column of glamour shots of every remaining contestant, and on the sides and center were eight different areas of the library. One of the screens featured the front desk where the step-librarians were working, but the other seven mirrors showed unfamiliar scenes from a dimly-lit library.<p>

"For those of you watching in the audience, let me explain a little about what you're seeing! Seven cameras have been hidden discretely in the library's restricted section - they're currently recording the seven screens up here, as you can see - next to where the reference books are located. The largest screen here shows the front desk, where all the contestants will be at the start of the event. The long screen on the top," Blondie gestured at the highest screen, which the pictures of the contestants, "will show you the progress of our girls. If a contestant successfully acquires a book and makes it out of the library, her photograph will light up and she'll continue onto the next round! If, on the other hand, she is disqualified before she can get a book, a large red X will appear over her profile. To successfully acquire their research books, these girls will need to show prudence, resourcefulness, and - most of all - good library manners! And if all seven books are found by all but one of the contestants, the last contestant will automatically receive the red X and be disqualified. So, Ever After High, does _your_ favorite contestant have what it takes to win this wicked challenge?"

The crowd responded enthusiastically. Blondie held out her microphone to pick up their cheers; it was safe to say that the atmosphere in the Charmitorium was much more energetic than the one at the library.

"Oh, look! Our girls are in!" she announced, pointing at the center screen with the front desk. Indeed, the contestants were filing into the library, each of them walking with nervous gaits. "Heads up, everyone! Looks like the Research Hunt has begun!"

* * *

><p>The contestants filed in without talking much, knowing that they were being watched by the step-librarians (and the rest of the school, for that matter). Most of the girls appeared to be at a complete lost as to what they should do next. The path to the restricted section was just behind the front desk, where both the step-librarians were sitting and glaring. Getting past them by conventional means seemed near impossible.<p>

Luckily for Cerise, she already had a plan up her sleeve: without thinking twice, she pulled down her hood and walked into the shadow of a nearby bookcase - by her second step, she was already deep inside the restriction section. Thank goodness for magical capes.

Cerise blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the new room. The place was enormous, it had two whole floors - one had to wonder why so many books were made restricted in the first place. It was also quite dark; the only light that filtered into the room came from the single round window placed high up on the second floor. She squinted back down at her sheet of paper… Newt Scamander. Would the books still be arranged in alphabetical order here?

She took a quick run over the nearest shelf and found that the answer was, no. In fact, it looked like none of the books had been sorted in a long time - _Trolling & Mentoring: A Complete Guide,_ by P. Celestia, was put right next to _Humanity's Grim Reminder,_ by Dr. Jaeger. Cerise sighed, wondering to herself how difficult Headmaster Grimm expected this challenge to be, and slowly began searching the shelves.

* * *

><p>Cupid hung around on the second floor of the main library, holding her breath and praying to her unknown ancestors that this plan would work. She flapped her wings once, then twice, to warm them up - it had been a long time since she'd flown, and they were still all stiff from yesterday's swimming.<p>

"All or nothing," she whispered to herself. It was a risky ploy, but she didn't have any better ideas.

Slowly, she climbed over the second floor's protective fence. Cupid took a deep breath and jumped - she dropped two feet before she managed to fly steadily, staying close to the ceiling the entire time. Then she carefully inched her way over the heads of the evil step-librarians.

It was truly nerve-racking. If she moved too fast, the step-librarians would feel the gust and notice her; if she moved too slow, there was a chance they would look up from their paperwork and see her anyway. Several of the girls gaped at her and drew obvious suspicion to the area above the front desk.

"Get back to your work!" one of the step-librarians barked, startling Cupid and making her drop a few paces. She flapped harder and accidentally sent one of the desk papers fluttering. The other step-librarian turned around to find the source of the wind (for a heart-stopping second she thought it was all over), but then went back to pick up the fallen sheet of paper without looking up.

Cupid forced herself not to swallow and continued along the ceiling. This was incredibly bad for her heart… but she was almost there now. As soon as she made it through the doorway, she tore off into the restricted section, flew all the way up to the second floor, and collapsed on the ground.

"Never again," she gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow.

* * *

><p>"<em>Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope,"<em> Briar thought as she trekked back down the hall. She traced her way back to the school's entrance, pushed past the double-doors, and walked outside underneath the night sky. Then she veered left and started walking around the building.

Nope. She didn't like the evil step-librarians, and she was going to avoid them if she could. Briar knew just how to do that: she was going to break in through the window. No one said she had to get in through the _front_ entrance… right?

Briar reached into her back pocket and pulled out her fairy flashlight. When clicked on, it illuminated the path before her like an industrial lamp. She continued down the rocky path until she found a familiar patch of bushes and an ivy trailing up the wall; looking up, Briar could see the lone window leading to the library's restricted section. She clipped the flashlight to the hem of her shirt and began climbing.

(Briar had discovered this secret little entrance - and exit - weeks before while she was serving detention with the evil step-librarians. No one knew why they made students organize the restricted section all the time; the books there had a certain magic that made them reshuffle themselves periodically, so they would rarely stay organized for more than a week. Either way, nobody missed her when she jumped out the window.)

She steadily made her way up until halfway through, where the ivy grew thinner and more brittle. Briar hastily grabbed at the brick walls; she inched her way up along the walls (occasionally slipping here and there) until she found the start of another, more secure vine. None of it startled her in the least - there was something about knowing her soon-to-be snoozefest of a future that made her fearless in the face of any adventure. It was a shame that her destiny called for her to sleep a hundred years; if not, Briar fancied she could've been something awesome, like a ninja. Or a double-agent. Or a double-agent ninja... pirate party-planner. _Yes_. As soon as she wakes up from her century-long slumber, that was _exactly_ what Briar was going to do for a living.

* * *

><p><em>[Back at the Charmitorium]<em>

"Headmaster Grimm, would you like to explain to us the meaning behind this challenge?" Blondie asked into her personal mirror. She was trying to entertain the audience with her play-by-play narration, but the event just hadn't picked up its steam yet - after announcing that Cerise was searching yet another shelf for the third time, Blondie decided it would be best to highlight something else.

Grimm's face was looking in from the other side of the screen from his position just outside the library. He scratched his moustache. "Well… you see, the original third task consisted of a written test to be taken by all prospective Miss Ever Afters."

"Ooh, so what happened to that?"

"Ahem. The audience did not find this challenge entertaining enough to watch, so eventually it was changed to a more interactive research project… and now, this." Grimm ended with that and didn't look like he was going to elaborate any further. Blondie blinked.

"..._Well,_ won't you look at that! It looks like Cerise Hood is on her fifth bookshelf, ladies and gentlemen!"

* * *

><p>At first she figured she could simply curse the evil step-librarians - put a freeze spell on them, maybe, or transform them into harmless moths for a short period of time - but Raven quickly trashed that idea. Using black magic on school staff members just to get through a pageant event wouldn't exactly help in her crusade to undo her image as an "evil queen", after all. Raven mentally berated herself for even considering the thought; no, she would get her copy of <em>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them<em> in a wholesome manner, just like every non-evil princess should.

With that said, Raven decided to try her hand at a summoning spell. She was making steady progress with casting "good" spells in Magicology (her healing spells worked almost a fourth of the time now!) - and she had to admit, it felt good to be able to use helpful magic again. Raven wandered off into the reference section and was now pouring over a fairy spell book.

"Spells for heating a bubble bath, no… Animal communication? That's not it, although I'd like to try that spell sometime…" she murmured to herself, riffling through the worn pages. "Summoning, summoning… it should be somewhere under Basic Utility Spells, right?"

"Whatcha doing?" asked Maddie, suddenly peering over her shoulder and startling her.

"Shh…! Not so loud, Maddie," Raven whispered. Maddie bounced back on the balls of her feet, carefree as ever. "I'm looking up summoning spells. What about you? Aren't you going to look for a copy of the textbook?"

"That's right! I am." The curly-haired teen whipped her tiny hat off her head and looked inside the brim. "I'm sure I'll find it somewhere here. Things turn up sometimes, sometimes not…" She frowned and began rummaging. Raven watched her pull from it a slice of toast, a video game console, and a chainsaw before forcing herself to continue reading.

Eventually she located the words "summoning magic - p. 183" in the index. She skipped forward several chapters until she found the single page dedicated to summoning. Raven tucked a stray lock of her over her ear and began to read. It looked simple enough; she practiced the incantation in her head a few dozen times before mustering the confidence to try it aloud.

"_Accio textbook!"_ she chanted, holding a single hand in front of her.

Across the room, the staircase exploded.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn was pacing back and forth in the kid's section, trying and failing to come up with a clever plan. The step-librarians had yelled at her for loitering around the front desk (where she watched Cupid sneak by right over their noses), and she didn't want to be thrown down of the library. Ashlynn sighed; she might as well call it quits now. Half of the other girls had already made it in, and the rest looked like they had an idea of what they were doing one way or another - except her.<p>

A light scratching noise distracted her from her thoughts. Curious, Ashlynn leaned down to where the sound seemed to be coming from and gently pushed aside a stack of large stack of picture books. To her surprise, sitting on the shelf was a familiar face.

"Pesky?" she whispered. The mischievous squirrel cringed at the light that had poured in after Ashlynn removed the books. "What are you doing here?"

"_Ashlynn! What are _you_ doing here?"_ Pesky retorted, spitting out a mouthful of acorns. He wiped his mouth ruefully. _"Great… this was supposed to be my secret hiding place for my winter stash. Looks like I'll need to find someplace else."_

"Your... winter stash? Um, you know you can always use my room," Ashlynn offered. In fact, half of her dorm was used to accommodate one of her animal friends or another - and the other half was used to store shoes. She was glad that Briar was never fussy about the state of their shared room.

"_Bah! Do I look like a common pigeon to you? A true pure-bred squirrel like myself don't rely on maidens!"_ said Pesky, puffing out his chest. Ashlynn pressed her fingers to her lips to keep herself from laughing. The squirrel had warmed up to her considerably after she and Hunter came out about their relationship, and although she wouldn't dare tell either of them, Pesky resembled Hunter in many ways. For one, they both had a habit of trying to act more gallant than they really were when she was around. _"You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here? Studying?"_

"Oh, um… not exactly," she sighed. "I'm here to do a contest for Miss Ever After. It's not going so well." She gave the squirrel a quick overview of her circumstances. Rather uncharacteristically, he listened to her from beginning to end without interrupting or making any snarky quips.

"_So you have to get this book from the restricted section?"_ he asked finally. Ashlynn nodded. _"Piece of cake! I'll get it for you, no problem. What's the name of this thing?"_

"Pesky, are you sure?" she asked worriedly. She didn't tell him about her situation to pressure him into helping her out! "No, don't. I don't want you getting in trouble with the librarians… they're nasty enough as it is to us students, who knows what they would do to a meddling squirrel!"

"_Pssh! If Hunter can't catch me, I doubt these old hags can,"_ he said, eyeing the step-librarians carefully. Before she could stop him, Pesky snatched the paper from Ashlynn's pocket and read Grimm's instructions. _"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? They make books like that?"_

"Don't go! It's too dangerous!" Ashlynn cried-whispered, but Pesky was already high-tailing his way to the front desk. She flinched as she watched him scurry right on top of the evil step-librarian's shoes, eliciting a disgusted screech. "Oh, no…"

* * *

><p>When Cedar finally made it in, she thought she had entered a madhouse. There was a squirrel running across the floor, chased by a possessed-looking Cerise, and she was pretty sure someone was hammering at the window. Cupid and Duchess both paid her no attention as they concentrated on looking for their textbooks.<p>

It was a total fluke that she managed to get in at all. Cedar had been sitting near the front desk, pretending to read a comic book while hoping the evil step-librarians would suddenly fall asleep or something and let her get by. She couldn't lie, being deceitful or sneaking around weren't exactly her fortes. She waited for more than half an hour when the staircase suddenly exploded - no one knew why - and sent the librarians running for a fire extinguisher. That's when Cedar took her chances and dashed right into the restricted section.

Things were looking… _bad_, to say the very least. She felt a twinge of pity for the step-librarians, wicked as they were - this secret event was totally ripping apart the library. Cedar ran up to the second floor and decided to find her book as quickly as possible, if she could. She was at a disadvantage from having arrived so late, considering that some of the other constants had gotten in within minutes.

Just as she began pouring over the nearest shelf, something touched her shoulder. Cedar squeaked and turned around.

"Shh, it's just me," Cupid said, looking apologetic. "I just wanted to tell you ahead of time - I've already searched that shelf, I couldn't find anything. Also, I saw Cerise cover most of the bottom floor. Why don't you come with me? I'll find you a section we haven't already gone through."

"I… thanks, Cupid!" said Cedar, astonished. She hadn't expected any help in this round, especially since it was a direct elimination event - helping another contestant find her book meant pushing down your own chances of finding one, after all. "Are you sure you want to tell me all this? I mean, one of us _has_ to be eliminated if we can't find a copy…"

Cupid smiled and shook her head. "Don't be silly - you helped me with the last event, remember? I still owe you one! If you still can't find a copy after I'm done, I'll help you out, okay?"

Cedar smiled back, feeling quite touched. It was certainly good to know that even in a fierce battle for the title of Miss Ever After, they could all still be friends.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, another contestant downstairs was scouring the library alone and was certainly not relying on <em>her<em> friends… not that she had many. Getting inside the restricted section was easy enough for Duchess; she had simply transformed into a swan and sidestepped the librarians at ground level, where she could blend into the shadows. It was a peculiarity that she was born a black swan and not pure white like her mother had been, but her darker feathers had served her well. They made it easier for her to sneak around and dish up dirt on the other princesses - or in this case, getting past evil step-librarians.

She was currently combing through a rickety shelf tucked in a secluded section on the first floor. Duchess wasn't an idiot; she wasn't going to spend all her time looking through the entire library for her book. Instead she used her cunning to locate one of their "secret" cameras, which was pointing down at this area - she was willing to bet anything that there would be a copy of the book somewhere around this shelf. Duchess mentally congratulated herself for her brilliant idea, even though she hadn't struck on it immediately - in fact, her original plan was to wait for another girl to find a book and then attack her for it… but she couldn't have people in the Charmitorium seeing her do that. Still, one could never have enough back-up plans.

Halfway through the second row, her eyes caught a flick of gold with familiars letters. Duchess held her breath and squinted at the dark red book. Could this be it? She pulled out her sheet of paper and slowly compared it to the binding.

Just before she finished confirming that the book was indeed _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, a bright light flashed from above and temporarily blinded her. Duchess gave a muted shriek. "What _is_ that!?"

There was the sound of glass tinkering. She forced herself to look at the light source and saw that someone had opened the window, and… was that Briar Beauty climbing in? What the hell was _she_ planning? Duchess watched her leap down from the windowsill and clumsily mash the windowpane back into the hole, creating a good deal of noise. (She hissed; at this rate, Briar was going to get them all caught!) When she finally managed to fit the glass back in place, Briar scampered off to the search the shelves on the second floor.

Duchess exhaled. She couldn't believe that the step-librarians didn't notice… but then again, there seemed to be a great deal of commotion going on outside. She could pick up the distant sounds of… explosions, for some reason.

...Well, back to her book! Duchess ignored the steadily increasing volume of the environment around her and focused on her objective. Somewhere in the middle of the second row, if she remembered correctly? She scanned around the center and… nope, not there. Duchess frowned. She looked carefully through the entire second row, but the small red textbook didn't turn up. Then she searched the entire shelf. Finally, desperate, she dropped on all fours and searched the floors. The book was missing.

"Where?" Duchess barely kept herself from screaming. _"Where?_ It was right here! Where did it go!?"

* * *

><p>"Hm-hm-hmm! Is this it?" Maddie wondered aloud as her hand brushed against what felt like paper. She stuck her whole arm in and yanked out a small red book. It seemed like someone was screaming inside her hat, so she put it back on her head and held her new-found treasure in the light.<p>

* * *

><p><em>[Back at the Charmitorium]<em>

"Can she make it back out of the library? And… yes, she made it!" Blondie announced. The crowd was at the edge of their seats now; the girls' portraits were lighting up one by one as they made it out of the restricted section with their textbook in hand (not that that was a particular difficult task now - the step-librarians were busying putting out a fire and tripping over chainsaws).

Eventually the seventh girl made it back, her picture lighting up as soon as she exited the double-doors. A bright red X appeared over the photograph of the last remaining contestant.

"Oh, dear," said Blondie, letting the results sink in. All of the library-tracking mirrors faded to black. "I guess we all know who's getting eliminated now. Well, sit tight for a moment, everyone! Headmaster Grimm will be here in a second with our lovely contestants."

As promised, Grimm was soon walking up the stage with the girls in tow. They came in a single-file line, one by one in the order they had completed their task, amid the audience's roaring applause. The crowd fell into hushed silence as the last, unsuccessful contestant approached the stage.

"Ahem." Headmaster Grimm appeared fatigued, which didn't surprise anyone considering the current state of the school library. "As you all may have noticed already, the next contestant to be eliminated from Miss Ever After is…"

* * *

><p><strong>RESULT OF THE LAST VOTE (SWIM CONTEST):<strong>

Blondie: 24

Duchess: 9

Cupid: 4

Briar: 5

Maddie: 1

Cerise: 1

_(Anyone else not listed received no votes against them.)_

* * *

><p><strong>[VOTING PERIOD IS OVER FOR THIS CHAPTER]<strong>

**And it looks like Blondie's out by a good lead! Ha ha, I'm actually quite glad - I was planning to make her the co-host / reporter for the contest as soon as she got out (as many of you have guessed in the comments ORZ). About True Hearts Day: I started writing this story before the conclusion of trilogy, so… I'm just going to pretend it magically happened sometime before this event fffffffffff**

*also: an obligatory disclaimer that all resemblances to other series are entirely intentional, and no, I own nothing. however, all the points to anyone who can name all the non-EAH references in this chapter ;)


	5. INTERMISSION 3-4

"...Miss Briar Beauty."

At the end of the line Briar sighed, knowing well beforehand that she would be eliminated. Finding that textbook had been a lot harder than she anticipated, especially considering the fact that she began dozing within minutes of searching.

"Ah, well. I wasn't really in the contest wholeheartedly to begin with, so I guess it's only fair," she said, shrugging and grinning despite herself. Briar turned to face the other contestants. "Good luck! Guess I'll just be cheering you all in the crowd from now on - but remember to keep me on tab for the after-party, okay?"

The other girls took turns hugging her, wishing aloud how they could all win together and assuring her that she would be the first to know about the after-party. Content, Briar descended the stage and sat in the audience seat, exchanging high-fives and fist-bumps with her fans.

"Thank you, Miss Beauty, for that excellent display of sportsmanship. Erm… now let's see, the next event…" Grimm paused, looking again at the mirror-screens that showcased the utter disaster that had become of the school's library, "...will unfortunately have to be postponed until we can repair the library."

"Awwwww!" "Booooooo!" shouted the audience members (including Briar), but Grimm paid them no attention.

"We shall continue the pageant one week from now. I will reveal more details as the week progresses. Due to the nature of the next contest, I cannot reveal the name of the event until the day of - although I assure you all that it will be much _less destructive_ than this one." He glared pointedly at the contestants, causing several to giggle nervously and shift around in a guilty manner. "But enough of that. I trust our contestants will take advantage of this break _wisely_. Until then, ladies and gentlemen, you are all dismissed!"

* * *

><p>Apple was sitting quietly at her desk, doing her homework steadily and mechanically. Crownculus was easy for her. Every subject she was taking was easy for her. When she finished, she went back to the first question and started redoing it. Apple never needed to double-check her work, but this time she did it anyway - it gave her something to do, something to take her mind off her disappointment.<p>

Her… disappointment. Yes, she was dreadfully disappointed.

Apple continued on to question two as her poisonous thoughts consumed her. _What was she?_ The daughter of Snow White? The prettiest girl in the school? Those were the all things she was trying to break _away_ from by renewing Miss Ever After… was she just going to go back on her words now that she was down? And why was this all surprising her? Had she not told Headmaster Grimm that she wasn't just banking on winning?

The dreadful realization had hit her a few days ago. Apple _had_ been expecting to win Miss Ever After, just like everything else… it was too deeply ingrained in her her entire life. Being able to show the whole school that she was more than just a pretty face, that she was a good leader, a smart student, a hard worker - they had all banked on her making it through each round, and Apple had never stopped to think that there was a possibility she might lose. But now, as if the world wanted her to see just exactly what she had taken for granted, she had lost.

And then she blew it. She should have taken the lost gracefully, like Blondie and Briar had… like a good queen should have. But instead she bawled her eyes out and asked everyone in the audience why they hadn't given her what she didn't deserve. Tears welled up as Apple recalled the shameful memory; she had failed. She had failed the most important test of all.

"Apple?" came Raven's voice from behind her.

Apple turned around - she didn't hear Raven come in at all! - and quickly wiped her face. She tried her hardest to make a congratulatory smile. "Hi, Raven! I didn't notice you there. Good job on getting past the last event! I wish I'd seen it, but I've been just so busy with schoolwork and all…" That was, of course, a lie; the chances of Apple screwing up a Crownculus problem was about as likely as her winning Miss Ever After after being eliminated.

"Uh-huh… sure." Raven didn't look very convinced. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About how you haven't really been coming out of your room these days," Raven said uneasily. She pulled up a chair next to Apple's desk and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? Everyone's been worried."

Apple gave a fake laugh. "Oh, is that all? Don't worry about me, I'm just spelltacular, as always! Just busy with homework, like I've said. It's not like anyone wants to see me now anymore, right?" Her voice broke.

Raven frowned. "Of course people still want to see you, Apple. Is this about the contest? You know, just because you're not in the running for Miss Ever After anymore doesn't mean people don't like you anymore!"

Apple looked away, hiding her face. "Raven… no. You don't understand."

"I'll understand if you tell me," she offered. The blonde didn't reply for several minutes, but Raven continued to sit patiently.

"It's not about losing the contest," Apple whispered finally. "It's… it's about _how_ I lost it. I cried like a godmother-spoiled brat in front of the whole school. I failed as a future queen. They must all _hate_ me now."

"What? That's it?" Raven asked, incredulous, and Apple bursted into sobs. She hastily back-pedaled and began patting her roommate's back. "There, there… uhh. Shh-sh-shhh. I'm sorry. Please don't cry, Apple, I didn't mean it that way. I just… well, I'm surprised you've been hiding in here for such a silly reason! Really, I didn't hexpect this at all."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Apple choked out between her tears.

"Well, _everyone_ was surprised that you were voted off first, for one," said Raven. "Crying after something like that is normal. You're being too hard on yourself. The worst that happened was that everyone felt bad after you left - but nobody was angry with _you, _much less hates you!"

"But should a queen be crying like that?" Apple asked miserably.

Raven considered this. "Well… no, probably not. But even queens-to-be are human. Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean you can't fix things. Go out there with your head held high, Apple! If you want to show them that you can take a loss well, you should be out there cheering on your friends instead of cooping yourself up in here. I mean… practically half of the school was mad at me after Legacy Day, but I didn't hide myself after that, did I?"

Apple wiped away her tears as she listened. "You're right, Raven. You're completely right. I know I have to confront my mistakes if I want to fix things. But…" She lowered her hands and thought about what it must be like going on outside. People everywhere would stop to ask her if she was okay, ask her what happened, looking for a perfect explanation from their perfect, _perfect_ future queen… no, she couldn't do it alone. "Can you come with me outside today? Just this once, please? If people come at me with all these questions, I don't know if I can handle it."

Her roommate didn't even blink. "Of course."

"Thanks, Raven," Apple sighed, pulling her into a hug. A small smile tugged at her lips. "You really are awful at being an Evil Queen, you know that? I guess I know how you feel now, a little bit. If I were so bad at my chosen destiny, who knows what I would've done?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, also smiling.

Raven helped her to her feet. Apple dusted off her skirt, took a deep breath, and smiled that princess-perfect smile that she was going to use to deflect every question and comment thrown at her. Together, they pushed open the door and walked outside.

* * *

><p><em>[Meanwhile at Wonderland Grove]<em>

(Ali and Bunny couldn't make it, then?) Lizzie asked in Riddlish, dabbing the corners of her mouth with a checker-patterned cloth. She, Kitty, and Maddie were seated around a ridiculously tiny tea table that couldn't support all three cups and saucers, so the three of them had taken to balancing their tableware on their own heads. All in all, a typical Sunday tea party for the Wonderlandians.

Maddie cocked her head, sending her teacup clattering on the floor. (Hmm… well, Bunny's always losing track of time, you know. I don't know why Alistair isn't here, though! He's usually good with coming to our parties.)

(Maybe he fell into a hole,) Kitty suggested. She was lapping up her tea with her tongue, but nobody seemed to notice. (It wouldn't be the first time… heh.)

(You did a fableous Wonderlandian backstroke in the Swim Contest,) Lizzie complimented. She sighed wistfully. (I do miss the great Sea of Tears back in Wonderland. I used to swim there all the time! Or, at least, I think I swam there all the time - it was always hard to keep track of time in Wonderland, wasn't it?)

(Tell me about it,) Kitty grumbled. (I'm _always_ fairy late or fairy early for class here… I can't believe how inconsistent the clocks are! Why don't they all turn back when I set my alarm back?)

(Thanks, Lizzie! I think I like it here, though,) said Maddie. (It's not nearly as mad as Wonderland, of course, but I've met lots of nice people. Ooh! Are you guys all done with your tea? Let's read the dregs!)

(Ask if the portal to Wonderland will ever be open again!) Lizzie urged as Maddie collected all their cups. She lined them up and peered inside, studying the leaves carefully. (What does it say? What does it say?)

(The tea says, yes and no! Maybe so?) Maddie giggled.

(I wanted a definite answer,) Lizzie moaned. Kitty patted her best friend on the back.

(Let's not talk about Wonderland now,) said Kitty, throwing Maddie a significant look. They both knew that of their little circle, Lizzie missed Wonderland the most - she was having a hard time picking up the language and culture in Fairy Land, and her mother was still recovering from the Wonderland poisoning. Being a Royal, Lizzie was also worried about what would become of her destiny - after all, she couldn't be the Queen of Hearts to a realm that was no longer open. Kitty cleared her throat. (So, how's croquet? You're the captain of the team now, aren't you?)

(Oh… yes, I am,) Lizzie sighed. Her eyes lingered on the teacups. (My teammates are very sweet. They've been improving a lot this past month, despite all the rain we've been getting.)

(I hear the croquet team's new game chant is "Off with their heads!",) said Maddie. Lizzie blushed, and both her friends started cracking up.

(But they have no idea what it means in Riddlish, do they?) Lizzie lamented. (I tried explaining to them once, but they just thought I was yelling at them! Does everything I say really sound like yelling?)

(Not to us,) said Kitty. (Actually, I don't think fairy teens can even learn Riddlish. I was trying to teach this guy the other day, but he wouldn't even get his paws wet after I told him there 'wasn't an _exact_ word for anything'! What's that all about?) Her friends shrugged and resumed balancing their teacups on their heads. Kitty sighed, grinning lazily. (Enough about that. How're things going in the romance department? You two found dates yet?)

(No!) both girls chorused, Maddie cheerfully and Lizzie hastily. She rolled her eyes.

(Don't get me wrong, I adore everyone here! But no one seems to share my values or lifestyle, so there's that,) Maddie said, pouring herself some more tea. (Fairy teens are all so tepid, you know?)

(They're more fun to mess with, though,) Kitty mused. (It's funny seeing their reactions. Once I was dating this other guy - what was his name again? Charley? Excalibur?)

(Those two names are nothing alike,) Lizzie pointed out.

(Whatever after, I forget. Anyway, he wanted to bring me to this ice cream place, right? But he only read about it on the MirrorNet, so he had to follow these directions to get there. Then _I _decided it would be great if I mixed up all the signs after we passed it!) Kitty looked expectantly at her friends. (So you know what happened? When we tried to go back, he completely lost his way and we ended up falling into a geyser! I mean, like, a _geyser?_ I didn't even know they had those here! _He_ didn't appreciate it when I told him I was the one who screwed up the signs, though. Weirdo.)

(Sounds like a normal Wonderland date to me,) said Lizzie thoughtfully. (You know that dates here are supposed to be pleasant and fun? Someone told me that. In that regard, I think Fairy Land might be better than Wonderland.)

(What a snooze!) Kitty declared. However, she eyed her friend suspiciously. (Did I hear 'someone' there? Ooh, did Lizzie go on a date~?)

(I did not!) Lizzie said indignantly. (Future Queen of Hearts, remember? I'm waiting to get back to Wonderland for that. I do have a reputation to keep up, you know!)

(Hmmmm,) Kitty purred suspiciously. But she allowed the topic to drop and poured herself another cup of tea. (What flavor is this anyway? It's so weird, I can't figure it out! Maddie?)

(This is a new brew! I mixed it up a few weeks ago,) said Maddie, peering into the teapot. (I'm thinking of adding it to our menu. You like?)

Lizzie took a careful sip of her tea. (It's sweet and salty. I like it. You normally don't add salt to tea, do you? But the saltiness really makes the sweetness that much lovelier!)

(It's fine, but I liked that nepeta-thing tea better.)

(You started rolling around in the grass and talking to your own feet after you had that one, Kitty,) Lizzie warned.

(So?) Kitty pouted. She stirred her tea with her finger, then bent down to sniff. (What kind of salt did you use? I think I smell rose.)

(That's just the question, isn't it?) Maddie giggled. She took the empty teapot and stored it into her hat. (I'll tell you, it's really the darndest thing! I found these pretty pink salt rocks at the spa - they were labeled 'bath salts', like someone would really need salt for a bath, right? - so I just took the whole container of them. And then I noticed how fragrant they were, so I decided to go ahead and add them to our usual caramel-nut tea. They've become such a hit ever since!)

There was a long pause.

(Hatter, do you know what the FDA is?) Kitty asked.

(Um… no?)

* * *

><p>CIA Detective Briar Beauty was on a mission. Through her sharp cunning, the detective had managed to recruit the two best gumshoes and information-holders (although not better than the good detective herself) for their most important mission yet. It was time to tackle <em>Operation: Evening Dress Vote<em> before the case went ice-cold.

"Do we really have to wear these sunglasses, Briar?" Investigator Cupid asked as she bumped into a wall for the fifth time.

"It's Detective Beauty! And yes, we have to look convincing if we're going to get statements from the suspects," Briar said. The three of them were tip-toeing down a dark and completely empty corridor.

"What's with the badges?" Agent Lockes inquired, fiddling with her official gold-forged CIA badge - which, at the moment, looked more like a plastic pocket mirror with a sticker stuck onto the inside.

"We'll have to show them proof of our occupation before we go into serious questioning! Man, don't you two ever watch CSI: Fairy Land?"

"I thought we were going to figure out why Apple was voted out in the first event," Cupid added. She was now stretching her arms in front of her to detect collisions. "Why are we doing… this?"

"That's what we're doing! I've already called the first suspect for questioning. He'll be here any minute." Briar stopped them all when they reached the end of the hallway and crossed her arms. "C'mon, detectives! Look confident."

Blondie and Cupid looked at each other, shrugging. Suddenly, the lights flicked on and somebody headed toward them. Hopper Croakington II stumbled his way into the light, squinting. "Uh… Briar? Y-you wanted to speak to me?"

"That's right. Cupid, start taking notes!" Briar loomed over the confused prince as Cupid fumbled with the quill and notebook she was holding. "So, Mister Croakington. Someone hexted me that you were present for the first Miss Ever After event… the Evening Dress contest. Well?"

"...Yeah…?"

"If you were there, it must mean that you've voted." Briar lowered her sunglasses and stared at the thoroughly bewildered Hopper. "Who did you vote against?"

"Uh… that's… well…" Hopper flustered, which succeeded in transforming him into a frog. He continued speaking in his amphibian form. "My deepest apologies, my ladies, but is this not a private matter? I would be terribly offending to the contestant should she hear that I voted against her - and quite awkward on my part, if you do not mind."

"Don't worry about that. We're highly professional investigators, and your response will be kept strictly confidential." Briar took the opportunity to flash him her pocket mirror 'badge', which only confused him even further. "This is an important matter to our case. Now talk! Who did you vote out?"

Even as a frog, Hopper remained speechless. "...Briar, is this some kind of game?" he asked finally.

"C'mon, Hopper, get a clue! We're trying to find out why Apple got voted out!" Briar groaned, dropping the entire pretense. "Tell us who you voted out, please? We promise we won't tell anyone!"

"Really? Ah, my deepest apologies for not understanding sooner!" said Hopper. "Well, if you do promise not to slip up… I voted against Miss Madeline Hatter, not Apple. Please do not inform her! I merely noted how unusual her headgear appeared and placed my vote accordingly."

"Is that so?" Briar put back on her sunglasses. "Take note, Detective. Thank you for your cooperation, Mister Croakington. Your testimony is a step closer to solving our case. Let's go, agents! Onto the next suspect!"

"Fairy obliged to help out fair detectives anytime." Hopper bowed, finally playing along. However, the girls were already marching out of sight. He called out to them: "Er… wait! Are you already going? Could somebody turn me back before you leave? Er, ladies? ...Ribbit."

* * *

><p><em>{November 6, 10:28 AM}<em>

_[LOCATION: Spellbinding Springs Cafe]_

"Hey, Briar! Oh, and Cupid - and Blondie. Um, why are you dressed up like that?"

The trio had tracked down Ashlynn and Hunter to a nearby vegan cafe; ever since they came out with their relationship, they decided to try some of the public restaurants they had avoided in the past.

"Never mind that, we're on a mission," said Briar. "Can we speak to Hunter for a spell?"

Hunter looked surprised, but he said "sure" and followed them outside the cafe. "What's up? It's not gonna take long, right?"

"As long as you cooperate. We're trying to solve a troubling case pertaining to the pageant. Would you happen to know about it?"

"What? Me? Uh, no! I mean, no," Hunter stammered, raising both his hands. "I mean… hey! Ashlynn got through that round fair and square! There was no rules against talking to animals, right? And if those animals just happened to help her, it doesn't mean she cheated! She even told him not to do it!"

"Uh…" Briar raised her eyebrows, and her two companions appeared just as confused. "Wrong case there, Hunter, ha ha. We were wondering why, y'know, Apple was kicked out the first round…?"

"Oh, _that?_ Uh… ha ha ha! Of course, yeah!" he laughed a little too heartily for it to be genuine. "Yeah, that. Just forget everything I said before, okay? Let's talk about that."

"..._Yeah,_ that. So, who did you vote against the first round?" When Hunter looked uncomfortable, Briar quickly threw in: "If you don't tell us, we _could_ just talk about the thing with Ashlynn you just mentioned. That sounds interesting, too." (A detective's best weapon: blackmail.)

"Shh! Fine, I'll tell you," Hunter whispered. "I… I voted Apple. Nothing against her or anything, I just thought it was time we had a non-Snow White winner. But it was just one vote, it couldn't have changed everything! Hell, I was as shocked as everyone else when it was announced. Honest!"

"You voted against Apple?" Blondie gasped. "But why? She did everything just right in the Evening Dress round!"

"I wanted to give all the other girls a chance," Hunter said defensively. "I guess… yeah, it wasn't really objective, looking back, but it was the principle of the thing. Everybody thought Apple was gonna win for sure, so I just sort of cast that vote in defiance. For the Rebel cause and everything. I didn't think it would actually impact the final score!"

"But - !"

Briar cut Blondie off, stepping in front of her with a single smooth motion. "Calm down, Agent Lockes. He gave us an honest testimony, which is what we were looking for. Thanks, Hunter. We're closer to understanding what happened now."

Hunter nodded and, after getting their assurances that nothing in their conversation would be repeated, slipped back into the cafe. "C'mon, girls. Our next suspects are at Wonderland Grove!"

* * *

><p><em>{November 6, 10:52 AM}<em>

_[LOCATION: Wonderland Grove]_

"Me? I voted off Apple!" Kitty told the detectives. Briar nodded, and Cupid scribbled down something on her paper. "What's a good contest without a little chaos? I just can't believe how well it worked out in the end. Tee hee!"

"Hmph. _I_ voted against Raven Queen. Off with her head!" Lizzie added. She emphasized her point by lopping off the cap to their teapot and narrowly missing Blondie in the process.

"And I'm a contestant, so I didn't have a vote!" Maddie stated the obvious cheerfully. She picked up the cap-less teapot and stuck a straw in it. "Tea?" she offered.

"Uh… no, thanks. We've got some more sleuthing to do. Let's go!"

* * *

><p><em>{November 6, 12:04 PM}<em>

_[LOCATION: Ever After High Courtyard]_

"I kicked out Apple," Sparrow admitted. He was sitting by the fountain, tuning his guitar. "I mean, having her win something again? So lame, man. Give someone else a chance, won't 'cha?"

"What about the criteria for the event? Did her evening dress not meet your hexpectations?" Blondie questioned.

Sparrow jerked his head in a noncommittal motion. "Hey, don't look at me, I dunno nothing about dresses. Didn't have any rockin' bling is all I remember. But then again, none of your dresses did."

"Got that down, Cupid?" Briar asked, and Cupid nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Mister Hood. We'll be off now."

* * *

><p><em>{(Still) November 6, 5:29 PM}<em>

_[LOCATION: Tower Salon]_

"I missed the first event, actually, but Holly was there for it. Who did you vote out, big sis?" Poppy O'Hair chimed as she snipped at their hair. The detectives had initially come in for questioning, but they somehow got themselves looped in for a hairdressing as well.

"Let me see…" Holly tapped her chin. "Was it…? Oh, yes, I voted out Cerise. She's a fableous girl - and a classic tale, let me tell you - but goodness gracious, her hair! She really doesn't care how fuzzed up it'll get from keeping it under her hood all the time, does she?"

"Tell me about it. Once I offered her a free trim and she declined," her twin added. "She would look great with a wicked bob. In fact, I thought it was a bob when I first saw her… talk about a fairy-fail when I brought it up to her in Chemythstry!"

"Always on and on about the short cuts, aren't you?" Holly sighed.

Just then the bell chimed, and both sisters hurried off to great the large crowd that entered the Tower Salon.

"What's the status, Cupid?" Briar asked, checking the back of her hair with a mirror.

"It looks good to me, Briar! Oh, wait, you mean the 'case', don't you?" Cupid was now sporting several fat curlers in her hair, which Poppy had instructed to leave on for ten minutes. "Unfortunately, it seem like there was no foul play from the looks of it. Almost half of the votes we got were against Apple, and we've asked almost everyone in school."

"Darn. Let me see." The paper that Cupid had been tallying the votes on was passed to Briar, and then to Blondie. There was approximately fifty votes against Apple, while the rest of the contestants had about ten at most.

"I don't get it. Apple's the most beloved person in Ever After High!" Briar sighed, tossing her newly-cut hair back. "Why did people suddenly all up and vote against her now?"

"Let's think back to what people said," Cupid suggested. "I remember that Sparrow and Hunter gave similar reasons about why they voted out Apple. Something about how she always won, and they wanted to give someone else a chance? That came up a lot during questioning."

"So are you saying everybody voted out my BFFA just because they wanted someone different?" Briar argued. "That's so not true. None of the Royals voted against her, did they?"

"That's it!" Blondie cried. She had been staring at the sheet of paper in silence since it had been passed to her. "I've got it now! I know exactly how Apple was voted off first."

"How!?" Briar and Cupid demanded simultaneously.

"Don't you two see?" Blondie jumped out from under the large hairdryer that Poppy had set up for her. "Good Grimm, I can't believe I missed it the first time - it's a classic case of a divided vote! You're just right about one thing, Briar. Of course none of the Royals (like myself) would vote against Apple - they're happy to keep things as they are, with Apple as Miss Ever After. And let's face it, Apple _does_ deserve it the most. So who voted against her?" She pointed into the air dramatically. "The Rebels! Who else would say stuff like 'give someone else a chance, even if it means kicking out the best contender'?"

"Um… so are you saying that _all_ the Rebels voted off Apple?" Briar asked.

"Well, not _all_… but yes, all of them!" Blondie said heatedly to the comprehension of none. "Apple was an easy target to agree on if you're a Rebel. Everybody hexpected her to win, so the Rebels naturally put all their votes against her whether she deserved it or not. But the Royals were divided in their vote. It's not like they had anyone they wanted to gang up on, right?"

"What about Raven?" Cupid offered.

"Oh, right. Well… maybe they didn't think Raven a real threat." Blondie tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It wasn't like Apple, who was surefire to win otherwise. There were other contestants to vote against if you were a Royal, like Maddie… or Cerise. They just assumed she would be taken out in time, probably. Or maybe Royals are just more fair and objective than Rebels."

"Hey, that's not right, Blondie," Cupid protested. "You can't say all Rebels voted subjectively… or that all Royals voted objectively, either! And even then, letting someone else have a chance isn't really that bad of a reason, is it?"

"It's all sorts of wrong! It's the Evening Dress competition, so it's only _just_ right to vote based on the evening dress!" Blondie retorted. "If it was just a popularity contest, then what was the point of creating all these different events?"

"So popularity wasn't the only thing that kept Apple in the running? I think you might be stretching the truth there, Blondie..."

_"What?_ I never stretch the truth - !"

"Be quiet!" Briar hissed, loud enough that some of the other guests turned their way. She waved sheepishly at them. "Ha ha, oops. Carry on, nothing to see here! But seriously, guys," she continued in a lower voice. "I didn't go all this way so we would fight about the results. I wanted to find out so we could tell Apple, and maybe cheer her up a bit? Frankly, I don't think she should've been kicked out so fast, but since she was, I think she deserves to know why. That's all."

"Sorry, Briar," Cupid whispered, while Blondie still looked off-put. "So how are we going to tell Apple? She hasn't exactly been coming out of her room these days…"

Briar folded up the tally sheet and stuffed it in her purse. "I know a way. Leave it to me."

_[[CASE CLOSED]]_

* * *

><p>Duchess had the dorm room to herself and was taking full advantage of it. Today was Sunday; it was already 1:30 in the afternoon when she finally got up, screw breakfast and lunch. She left her hair untied, threw on the first tee-shirt she found on the ground, and feasted on off-brand granola bars. This swan princess was going to have the laziest weekend ever, and no one was going to stop her.<p>

"_What have I ever done to you - what have _any_ of us ever done to you?"_

Duchess kicked her drawer closed. Why did that comment have to keep bothering her? It wasn't like she didn't know the answer to that one. T_he way they walked around all smiles and giggles, flaunting their stories and futures_… Duchess hated them all. Apple-freaking-White couldn't go a single day without telling the whole school how she was going to be queen one day, or how she _had_ to eat that poison apple, or how she was the fairest in the land even though she had to wear a pound of makeup and fake curls every day before leaving her room. Or Poppy O'Hair, who couldn't get enough of repeating everyone's tales over and over (except Swan Lake, which was a terrible story and nobody wanted to talk about it). Even princesses like Briar and Ashlynn weren't immune to the occasional reference or self-deprecating joke… but Duchess didn't even have that. There was nothing funny about ending up abandoned and drowning in a lake. She was practically the only princess without a Happily Ever After.

_That's why I'll do anything to win_. She didn't care what she had to do. She didn't care if no one understood her. She was going to find the one way out of that hell awaiting her, no matter how many toes she had to step on.

_It's not like it matters,_ she thought grimly. She didn't have any real friends to begin with. Who was there to lose?

_BANG-BANG-BANG!_

Duchess nearly fell off her bed when she heard the sound at her door. _What kind of deaf asshole knocks that loudly?_ she wondered peevishly. And Lizzie (who, ironically, _was_ kind of a deaf asshole, considering her habitual screaming about beheadings) had left only five minutes ago, so there was no way she was already done with her Wonderlandian tea party…

The swan princess marched angrily to the door and swung it open, ready to lay it out on whoever was rude enough to disturb her like that. The person standing outside was none other than…

"...Sparrow," said Duchess under her breath. She should've known.

"'Sup, Duch." Sparrow looked her up and down, and smirked. "What happened to your hair?"

Oh, right, her hair was still down. "I didn't have time to put it up yet because _someone_ had to go punching holes into my door!" Duchess retorted, feeling rather self-conscious. She hastily tossed a few stray locks over her shoulder.

He looked confused. "Someone punched holes in your door?"

"Yes, you dolt, and if you had half a brain you would know… oh, forget it." There was no use continuing this line of discussion. "What do you want?"

Sparrow shrugged. "So… it's been a while, you know…" His sentence trailed off.

Duchess frowned, getting impatient. "What? Did you want to show me one of your new songs?" Sometimes he came over to play one of his new (and often questionable) creations for her, although Duchess never knew why. But he wasn't dragging around his guitar today, so that couldn't be it. Then something else clicked: "Oh. Of course. Your prize."

"Well, I was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out after exams, but I guess I could pick that up, too."

"Sure, whatever after." Duchess rolled her eyes and reached for her jewelry box - what a roundabout way of collecting a ring. She said she'd give him one for teaching her how to swim, didn't she? Even though he had only managed to teach her one stroke in the end… but still, it was enough to get her through the second round. "Go ahead. Pick your favorite. I'm not telling you how much each of them cost, though."

"Yeah? In that case, you can give me which ever you like," said Sparrow, grinning.

She rolled her eyes again. "Fine, if you really want the worst one in my collection." Not that Duchess had any bad rings to begin with - she was a princess of wealth and taste, thank you very much. Duchess hesitated before grabbing a small, pink-gemmed one and dropping it in his outstretched palm. "There."

Sparrow winked and inspected it in the light. "...Nice. Is it cut in a ballet slipper shape? Are you sure you're not being too generous here?"

Duchess crossed her arms. "I didn't even pick that one when I got it. It never matched me at all." Actually, she had won it from her very first dance competition - she couldn't have been older than six years old at the time. Duchess had worn it proudly for a whole year after receiving it… but now it was just an old, childish ring that would only fit her pinky finger. Still, she felt a small pang of loss as she watched Sparrow pocket it. "Is that all?"

"Uh, hanging out? Remember that?" he teased. "Unless you're busy."

"If you want you can come inside, but I'm not getting changed to go out," she grumbled, swinging open her door. Actually, having some company might be nice - Duchess was already getting bored of her laziest weekend ever. Sparrow doffed his hat in the smuggest manner possible and stepped in. "But I'd better not find anything missing later on, Sparrow, I swear to Grimm…"

They proceeded to waste the next three hours building a miniature town out of granola bars and then another thirty minutes arguing whether it should be called The Great Granola Island or Sparrow's United Carbohydrate Kingdom. Duchess was soon declared the high queen of S.U.C.K.; her first decree stated that it was lawful to consume citizens because they had both missed dinner and nobody wanted to call in pizza delivery.

* * *

><p>"Rare, as usual?" Mr. Badwolf asked.<p>

"As usual," Cerise replied, grinning.

The two of them were eating at a small, relatively unknown steakhouse in the outskirts of school grounds. It had become a regular meeting place for the two of them since Cerise started attending high school. The two didn't talk much while waiting for their dinner. It was only when the waiter arrived with the steaks (both cooked so rare it looked almost raw - just the way father and daughter liked it) that they began a conversation.

"I was very surprised to see you on stage that first day," Mr. Badwolf grumbled, tearing through his steak with his teeth.

Cerise shrugged.

"I'm proud," he continued. "My daughter deserves to win."

She smiled shyly and started cutting into her steak. "It's not like I'll win just because I'm your daughter, dad."

"Hmph." Her father took a long swig of drink; when he slammed it back down on the table, it was completely empty. "Maybe. But you're a good girl. Lots of talent. And beautiful, just like your mother."

Cerise didn't say anything in response. He was always talking about how she was beautiful like her mom - not that it meant much in the end when she had these wolf-ears. It occurred to her recently that she might not be fit to be the next Red Riding Hood, even though she had pledged to do so on Legacy Day.

"Is something wrong?" Mr. Badwolf asked.

"Nothing," she said. There was no point in telling her parents - it made them feel guilty whenever she brought up her predicament with her destiny.

"You should enjoy yourself," her father advised. "Be like the other girls and have fun. Don't worry so much about your heritage, or your ears. Youngsters shouldn't have to worry about their parents problems all the time."

Again, Cerise said nothing. They were always telling her how she should hang out more and talk to people, but how could she? If anyone discovered her family's secret, they would be in serious trouble. Of course she was scared for them. But even then she had to admit that being in the spotlight for once was… surprisingly nice. It wasn't enough to push her into the social scene, of course - that would be too risky, someone might find out if they knew her too well - but it sure was tempting. Cerise remembered her bliss in the last two events, where she could really show off her athletic prowess. Somehow it was different when she was performing for a competition - instead of gasping in horror when she suddenly sped up to wolf-like speeds, people _cheered_. Was this the life she had been casting away all these years?

"Cerise."

She looked up from her steak and saw that her father was now looking concerned. He set down his fork, leaned over the table, and clapped both hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me. Have fun," he said sternly. "It hurts me to see you always hiding yourself, and then to think that it was all my fault. Be happy. Be proud of who you are."

"I am proud," Cerise murmured, eyes downcast.

"Good." Still looking contemplative, Mr. Badwolf nonetheless sat back down and called the waiter for a refill on his drink. Her father wasn't much of a talker; Cerise could tell that this was supposed to be his equivalent to a huge motivational speech. But all it did was make her more confused.

_I can't hide forever,_ Cerise thought as she picked apart the last of her meal. _So what should I do?_

* * *

><p><em>[Back at Wonderland Grove]<em>

(Huh,) said Kitty, gulping down the rest of her tea and licking her lips. (Me neither.)

* * *

><p><strong>RESULT OF THE LAST VOTE (RESEARCH HUNT):<strong>

Briar: 21

Cupid: 4

Duchess: 11

Ashlynn: 10

Maddie: 1

Raven: 3

Cedar: 3

Cerise: 1

* * *

><p><strong>As I'm sure you've noticed, this is a non-event chapter and there is no voting segment; I guess you could call this a breather chapter to catch up on what everyone's doing. Looking forward, I'll be adding a breather chapter after every 3 events or so. Stay tuned!<strong>

_other notes: Whew, heavy chapter! Wanted to throw in a plausible reason for Apple getting out the first round (other than, you know, the votes) and flesh out some of the newest additions to the EAH cast. Seriously though guys, thanks for all the supportive reviews - they helped me slowly (see: painfully) wrap up this chapter. Also, there seems to be another pageant fic with a similar name running around? ;D Looks like I have some competition~_


	6. A Penny Saved

**A/N: **_**Special thanks to **__**LovelyLyrics297**__** for coming up with this chapter's event!**_

* * *

><p>As it turned out, repairing the library ended up taking a full two weeks longer than Headmaster Grimm had predicted. The beauty pageant fell into the backseat of students' minds as other exciting developments - school projects, MyChapter gossip, DJ N-chant's new best-selling album - occupied the forefront. Thus, it was with a certain degree of surprise that the remaining contestants found themselves summoned to fashion designing class at 8:30 PM for a thirty-minute crash course on sewing. They were instructed to return by noon the following day.<p>

Raven arrived three hours earlier than necessary and was now flipping through a school-edition manual on sewing patterns. She had a nagging suspicion that the next event would involve fashion designing in some way (and by nagging suspicion, she meant it was totally obvious) and wanted to get in as much review as she could before the contest began. It seemed she wasn't alone in this sentiment, either: Cerise and Cupid both came into the room not long after herself and were now reading manuals of their own (Cerise was pouring over cloak designs in various magazines, and Cupid could be seen practicing the motions of using a sewing machine). By ten o'clock Duchess had slumped into the room as well, carrying a half-finished sewing project and looking as though she hadn't slept the entire night.

An hour elapsed in silence, and Raven's eyes began to glaze over the text. She finally put the manual down and decided to take a quick walk after reading the same line three times in a row.

Cerise smiled at her as she passed her table, and Raven waved back. Nobody seemed to feel like chatting, though, so she turned her attentions to the furniture around her.

For a fashion designing classroom, the inside of the room was decidedly bland. The walls were white and plain, and on one side of the room there was a row of equally-plain, undecorated steel windows. Seating was limited to one of the two long tables and the several wooden stools that clustered around them. Raven glanced at the sewing machines and doll forms that they had practiced with yesterday and noticed that they were now lined up against the wall; a single gray cabinet in the corner held the class's scissors, measuring equipment, pins and needles, and a rainbow of spools that constituted the only splash of color in the otherwise monotone room. In the center of the room was a single large industrial waste bin, now empty. There wasn't a single scrap of fabric in sight.

_Maybe it's more fashion-y when class is in session?_ Raven thought as she paced the room. _Maybe they just cleaned it out for us? _Because if this was the normal state of the classroom, then she couldn't imagine any place more uninspirational for fashion designing in her entire life.

Raven got back to her seat and sighed. She really didn't want to keep reading about sewing-patterns, but there seemed to be no better way to prepare, so she propped her chin on her hand and read… and read… and read.

Damn, when did her head get so heavy? Raven shifted her arm and laid her head down, holding up the pages so that she could read it sideways. _Yawn._ Wait, how was she going to flip the page if her head was laying on top of half the book? Then again, it was getting harder and harder to finish this page in front of her…

And inevitably, before she knew it, Raven had slumped over her chair and dozed off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Psst! Raven, wake up!"<p>

"Hellooooo? Is anybody in there?"

Raven stirred, groaning, just as something jabbed her sharply in the back. She opened her eyes to find Cerise and Maddie (who was poking her with her finger) hovering around her, along with all the other contestants… and Headmaster Grimm. And Dexter.

"Gah - !" Raven jumped up in her seat, fully alert now. "Holy… th-thanks guys. What's going on? Have we already started?"

Cerise shook her head. "Not yet. Grimm just came in and handed us these bags. This one's for you."

"I thought maybe you were in a magical trance, so we didn't want to wake you," added Maddie.

Raven gratefully accepted the brown sack from Cerise's outstretched palm. It felt unusually heavy; looking around, she saw that every girl had one, but nobody had dared to open theirs. Just as Raven was about to raise her hand to ask, Headmaster Grimm stood up and began his speech.

"I see that many of you are wearing custom-tailored skirts today. I hope that just as many of you are good tailors in your own right, because today your title as prospective Miss Ever Afters depends on it." Grimm folded his arms behind his back; he clearly had prepared some sort of important, moralizing speech for the occasion. None of the girls looked eager to hear it. "Although many of you fairy tale princesses and heroines are accustomed to living a life of nice clothing and endless wealth, a true Miss Ever After contender should know how to put herself in the shoes of the less fortunate. Today's event, the Sewing-and-Budgeting Contest, will test your ability to make your own outfits from scratch while using a modest allowance. There are a number of very important rules to consider during this event, so listen very careful as I dictate them to you now.

"Your task is to create an outfit by the end of the afternoon. Everything you need is already in this room, including your fabrics." He paused and looked backward at Dexter, who hastily held up a cardboard cut-out sign reading _Fur o'Cloqué_. "Your shopkeeper here, Mister Charming, will be tending the fabric stand for this event. Would you mind showing the ladies your inventory?"

"Oh - yeah, um…" Dexter fumbled with the lock on the chest for several seconds. When he finally managed to open it, the girls gasped: magical handles suddenly bloomed forward, each bearing tons of fabric in every type and color. Dexter lifted a sheet of paper and began reading off of it. "Yeah, um. Ahem. So, we've got cotton, linen, denim, uh... silk, satin, chiffon, flannel, knit, gauze, _double_ gauze - "

"Yes, yes, very good," Headmaster Grimm cut in. "If you have any questions about the fabric material, you may ask Mister Charming later. You will find him a good expert on such matters." (Dexter looked horrified.) "Now does everybody have a sack yet? Good."

Grimm stopped and pulled a single lime-green coin out of his pocket. He held it up against the light for the contestants to see. "For the purpose of this event, Fur o'Cloqué - that is, your fabric shop - will accept only these green coins as payment for the cloths, trims, and any other materials you will need to construct your outfit. Each green coin is equivalent to one gold piece, and you will each have fifty coins to start with. You are not permitted to use any other material purchased outside of this event. Mister Charming will be providing the judges receipts on all your purchases; if they find something in your outfit that was not purchased from the event, you will immediately receive zero points for the project." He looked pointedly at Duchess, who grimaced and shoved her half-finished project under the table. "Equipment and machinery such as scissors, needles, magical sewing machines, etcetera are already provided to you in the fashion designing classroom. I trust you all know how to use the equipment since yesterday's course."

He paused, allowing the information to sink in (not that it mattered, as most of the contestants were too absorbed watching Dexter's impromptu wrestling match against a tangled piece of chiffon to notice). "Finally, the criteria. Three judges will review your final products on stage later in the evening. Your outfit will be judged by its design, technique, and to a smaller extent, thriftiness - any excess green coins can be returned for bonus under-budgeting points. Are you listening?" The girls snapped back their attentions and nodded. "Excellent. I will arrive again at 6:00 to give you your one-hour-remaining warning, but until then, you are free to sew however you chose. Does anybody have any questions before I leave?"

The contestants glanced at one another, uncertain; only Ashlynn raised her hand. "Yes, Headmaster. When you say 'outfit', do you mean…?"

"Whatever you can finish," Grimm clarified. He scratched his chin a little uncomfortably. "Yes, we, erm, do realize how _unusual_ it may be to expect a full outfit from you in just half a day… but do your best. Your project will be judged with the time limit kept in mind. Any other questions?"

There were no other questions, so the Headmaster dipped his head and left. There was silence.

"So, um… did anybody catch all of that?" Cedar asked.

* * *

><p><em>[12:05 PM]<em>

At first there was some confusion as to what to do first, but eventually the girls decided that it would be prominent to first design their outfits before sewing them. Most of the contestants were sitting at one of the two tables and busily sketching their ideas down, while a few with more experience (or maybe they just had no idea what they were doing) skipped straight to buying cloth. Maddie… was decidedly part of the latter.

"Ooh! How much for this lacy thing?" Maddie asked, spinning a string of intricate lace trimming between her fingers. She was indiscriminately picking out whatever interested her at the moment. "Or this fuzzy bobble? What about this tea-riffic tea cloth?"

"Uh, hold on. That's… the scalloped lace, I think?" Dexter was frantically flipping through his booklet of materials and prices. "It's 22 coins for the yard. Okay, that one… is the… oh, you want the cloth now, okay - no? H-hold on, could you please slow down?"

"How about 20? Yes? Well, 50 is my highest offer!"

"Maddie, you can't bargain - "

"What about the color? Do you think the mushroom should be red or green?"

"...I have no idea what you're saying anymore..."

"Hold on!" Maddie suddenly pointed at him. Her eyes were wide. "Do you sell _googly eyes?"_

Dexter gave up. It was safe to say that for him, today was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

><p><em>[12:30 PM]<em>

"Hey, Cedar. You want to buy all of those?" Dexter, who had just finished ringing up a certain hatter for three yards of felt and a set of googly eyes, was now rubbing his eyes and looking exhausted but relieved.

Cedar grinned and handed him her six-piece stack of fabric, one for each color of the rainbow, and a small bottle of white fabric paint. "Yup! Um, how much for one yard of each? They're cotton, I think."

"Okay… right here, solid broadcloth, 4 coins each. And the paint is 5." Cedar carefully counted out twenty-nine coins and dropped them in Dexter's outstretched hand. He rolled out the sheets of fabric and began to cut out square yards. "So, what're you making?"

"Oh! Um, I'm thinking of making a rainbow skirt. I've been meaning to add some more color in my wardrobe, so depending on how this turns out, I might keep it!" She was actually very excited about this event. Fashion designing wasn't normally covered in Arts & Crafts, and her sewing skills weren't nearly at what we would call "Ashlynn-level", but Cedar had picked up yesterday's crash course quite well. The prospect of channeling her artistic skills into clothing designs was a new and exciting one. "What about you, Dexter? Can you sew?"

"Er…" Dexter said as the scissor glided off course over the cherry-red fabric he was supposed to be cutting, "...no. So much for 'Dextrous' Dexter Charming, huh?" He sighed and started a new cut further down the sheet. "Give me a minute, sorry. I'll have this finished in a spell."

"Or, maybe I could help with that?" someone said from behind them. Raven stepped forward and pointed a finger at the cloth; the scissors glowed purple and began snipping in a straight line. "I used to sew when I was younger, so having that little trick came in handy," she explained. She slid forth a roll of purple and silver swirling-patterned linen. "So, Dex. Can I get four yards of this afterward?"

"Uh - yeah, of course!" Dexter flushed bright red and began flipping through his pricing chart in haste. "H-hold on, let me find it now…"

"Thanks, Raven!" Cedar added as she skipped off with her newly-trimmed fabrics. Raven just smiled and waved.

"That's, uh, 10 coins per yard. That is, 40 in total," Dexter stammered. He took her payment and began working on her fabric. "Thanks for saving me there. They really shouldn't have gotten me to do this job, I guess."

"Don't worry about it," said Raven. "Some fabrics can be really tough to cut through. Hey, it's why I learned that spell in the first place. Anyway, what've you been up to?"

"Nothing much, really," he replied. He folded up the four yards of cloth and handed it back to her, grinning sheepishly. "I've been watching you compete in the contest. Um, if you don't mind the compliment, I thought you looked positively g-gort - I mean, _gorgeous_ - in the Evening Dress event."

"Aww, thanks," Raven beamed. She looked down at her linen and sighed. "Let's just hope this dress turns out half as good. I'd better get working now, so… see you around?"

"Yeah! I mean, ahem, of course - see you around." Dexter waved, grinning ear-to-ear.

* * *

><p><em>[3:00 PM]<em>

Cupid was still struggling to piece together her cardigan. Somehow the sleeves didn't look like they were in the right position (they were around _waist_ level) even though she had followed the book's instructions to the T. She sighed and pulled out the seams - an entire hour's worth of work - and tried again.

_Maybe it would help to see what other people are doing?_ she thought. Cupid tempted another glance at Ashlynn's handiwork, but the young Cinderella was still simply too advanced to follow: right now she was practically throwing fabric through the sewing machine. On the other side of the room, Cedar was sewing her layers together by hand and not following any particular set of instructions, while Raven was busy scaffolding her dress on those mannequin-things that Cupid forgot the name for. Nobody knew what Maddie was doing in her little corner.

Cupid decided to copy what Raven was doing and slid her sad, sleeveless excuse for a cardigan over the doll form. It… looked like a piece of fabric with holes cut out at the sides. Which, to be fair, was precisely what it was. She grimaced and decided to redo the collar.

All these exact measurements and complicated diagrams were confusing her - Cupid was admittedly terrible at geometry, and Crownculus was her least favorite class - but she tried to copy the shape in front of her the best she could. She snipped at the fabric a little… okay, that was barely anything. She snipped again and, this time, lopped off half the entire area. Then she panicked and snipped again, trying to save the shape… and whoops, looks like there was no collar left to work with!

Cupid facepalmed. She reached over to grab some leftover cloth - only to realize that there was none left. Cupid double-facepalmed and grabbed her coin sack instead. _Looks like it's time to pay Dexter a _third_ visit…_

* * *

><p><em>[4:30 PM]<em>

_One more stitch, it'll be finished… there._

Cerise stepped back to admire her handiwork: a shimmering green velvet short cloak and hood, fastened together with a single black button. It was hands-down her finest creation yet - she knew a little bit about sewing prior to the event, but even then it was only so she could occasionally patch up her worn-out shoes instead of buying new ones (her wolf genes combined with her love for running ensured that she would always be in want of new running shoes). This was her first time attempting something from scratch.

_Now for the final touch_. Cerise pressed a strip of faux-fur fabric against the edges of her finished emerald hood, trying to imagine how it would look attached. She decided she would sew it on by hand; there was still two and a half hours left, and it would be easier to control what she was doing this way.

Stifling a yawn, Cerise picked up a needle and went back to work. The faux-fur was even softer than the velvet, caramel-colored and fuzzy to the touch. It practically melted in her hands as she sewed. She smiled, savoring the comforting feeling between her fingers; it reminded her of Carmine's thick winter coat and the times they would snuggle together in front of the fire during particularly chilly days - _ouch!_

Cerise growled and jerked back her hand. A small bead of crimson was forming at the tip of her index finger where she had accidentally pricked herself.

_Must've lost track of where I was sewing,_ Cerise thought warily. She sucked her finger until it stopped bleeding and continued her work, more carefully this time. _Where did I leave off again? Damn it, I can't see anything underneath this fur._

She picked a spot and hoped it was where she had left off. A few stitches later, Cerise noticed that the long strings of fur were getting caught in her sewing. She sighed and began picking them out, until she noticed that it caused the fur to bend at awkward angles. Getting more and more frustrated, she grabbed the fur and attempted to re-straighten it by pulling it outward; instead, the hairs ripped off.

"Damn it!" Cerise muttered, earning her a few surprised side-glances from the girls working nearby. She looked away and hastily sewed.

The fur was proving to be really annoying, and her initial fondness for it was quickly evaporating. As she made the turn around her hood, it began to bunch up in different places.

Cerise frowned. She picked up another needle and thread, brought it to the bunched-up areas, tried to sew on top of them… and then pricked herself again. _"Damn it!"_

* * *

><p><em>[6:00 PM]<em>

On her left was an immaculate sketch of a black and lavender two-toned, two-fabric halter top gown, glittering with white sequins at the top and adorned with deep purple tulle at the bottom. There were details for a pair of laced, fingerless long gloves, as well as a matching feathered headpiece dressed with pearls and lace roses.

On her right was the real dress: an uneven halter top with awkwardly spaced and half-finished sequins sewn on top, and a dress portion that was still held up with pins and waiting to be stitched in place. The headpiece was reduced to a single large plastic feather, and the gloves were abandoned altogether. A stretch of tulle netting was sitting on the side, completely untouched.

Okay. _Okay_. So maybe Duchess had been a little _too_ ambitious in her design. But it was nothing she couldn't handle, right? She would just have to cut a few corners on the sewing, that's all. And maybe she would have to sacrifice some of the superfluous details, but that wasn't a big issue, right? It would still look great. There was still plenty of time, right? _Right?_

"Ahem!" It was Headmaster Grimm's voice. He peeked his head in from the door frame. "A reminder that it is now 6:00. You all have one hour left to finish your project."

_Fuck_ fuck _fuck_ fuck _fuck_ fuck _FUCK_ -

Throwing all caution into the wind, Duchess pricked herself three times consecutively before she gave up threading the sequins entirely and broke out the hot glue gun. The judges wouldn't be able to tell if she used a little glue. Hell, what's stopping her from gluing the dress together?

Nothing, she told herself. Because she was Duchess freaking Swan and Duchess freaking Swan said _fuck everything_.

* * *

><p><em>[6:55 PM]<em>

Ashlynn just finished attaching the last button to her camouflage-patterned pair of pants. She wiped her brow and lifted her ensemble into the light: shirt, vest, and pants, all in various earthy tones and colors. Just his style, she thought. Hunter was going to love it.

Ashlynn folded her newly-created masterpieces and started to clean her area. Grimm walked into the room with a large cardboard box while she was halfway through collecting her pins.

"Ahem! Time is up!" he announced, dropping the box. Several girls froze, and others frantically rushed to complete the last finishing touches on their work, but Ashlynn remained calm. "Please put down all your materials. You won't have much time until the second part of the event."

Grimm waited until the last girl put down her project before opening the box. Ashlynn peered inside from her tip-toes and saw that they were… black spandex bodysuits?

"Yes, the second part of the event will begin shortly," the headmaster continued. "And for that reason, I must ask Mister Charming to leave the room, if you will."

Dexter looked confused, but he hastily shuffled out of the room. The door swung shut behind him.

"The judges will evaluate your outfits on stage," Grimm explained after he left. "You will wear whatever you have completed and walk on the stage for the… the fashion show. As for these - " (he picked up a single bodysuit from the box) " - they are for you to wear under your outfit if your ensemble is incomplete or otherwise indecent on its own. You are not allowed to wear anything else for judging."

He cleared his throat. "I will leave for ten minutes to give you time to change. Report outside as soon as you're done changing." Grimm then promptly exited the room, giving the competitors no time to complain or ask questions.

Amid the chatter and rustling that started among the girls, Ashlynn stood horror-struck. _*I* have to wear this outfit?_

* * *

><p>"Good evening, Ever After High - and welcome to today's Miss Ever After pageant event!" Blondie boomed into the microphone from the corner of the Charmitorium. The stage now had a runway installed and was dancing with lights. "Brace yourselves for a fableous treat, ladies and gentlemen, because soon you're going to see a special Miss Ever After Fashion Show! But before we begin, let's introduce our judges. Judges, please introduce yourself!"<p>

The lights swerved and stopped at the judges panel: occupying the seats were Apple White, Lizzie Hearts, and Humphrey Dumpty. They each stood up and waved at the cheering crowd.

"Welcome back, Ever After High! I am Apple White, and I am ever so grateful to be participating as one of today's judges for the fashion show," said Apple. She was beaming confidently; it seemed that she had taken Raven's encouragement to heart and was finally letting go of her faux pas.

"Apple will be using her royal fashion sense to judge the contestant's outfits!" Blondie added excitedly. "Will the girls' fashion sense be enough to pass her discerning eye? Or will they be cut down by our next sewing-expert judge: Lizzie Hearts!"

"Hello, everyone," Lizzie took a small bow and waved at the audience. "Sewing is an intricate art that many people don't understand. It takes a lot of skill to put together an outfit. If I find any of the contestants cutting corners with their stitching, it'll be off with their head!"

"Don't we all feel that way, Lizzie?" Blondie agreed. "Let's hurry this up so we can get started! So, last but not least, here's our randomly-chosen audience guest judge - Humphrey Dumpty!"

"I have no idea what I'm doing up here," Humphrey said.

"To keep track of the coins left over!" whispered Blondie.

"...Okay. I guess I'm here to keep track of the coins left over."

"That's _just_ right! Now who wants to get this show started?" The audience clapped and yelled their answer. Blondie grinned and hit the lights; the spotlights swerved and stopped at the back curtains. "Alright-y, then! Let's begin!"

"First up tonight - _Raven Queen!"_

Raven walked out from the curtains wearing her swirl-patterned, silver-purple maxi dress. The dress had a very simple design, but it was for the most part well-sewn; the fabric hugged her body frame quite cozily and sashayed behind her. She walked to the front of the stage and stopped before the judges, posing.

"Hmm. It's a little simple, but it's not bad," Apple said. (Judges were allowed to comment on the outfits, but their number scores had to be saved until the end of the event.)

"I like it," Lizzie declared. "Very lovely stitching there. See how it follows when she bends at the hips?"

"Uh…" Humphrey wasn't even looking at the stage; his nose was buried in his MirrorPhone, which contained Dexter's purchase files. "It… says here that there was 10 coins leftover. Is that good?"

When the judges finished writing down their scores, Raven disappeared back into the curtain amid the crowd's cheering.

"Next - _Cedar Wood!"_

Cedar emerged from from the curtain. She stumbled forward wearing her rainbow-cascading skirt with tiny white polka dots and a matching scarf; since she didn't make a top, Cedar was wearing the black spandex bodysuit. She held her hands behind her back and walked the runway nervously.

"Cute design!" Apple mused. Without glasses, she had to squint to make out the ruffles on the skirt. "I've never seen something like that in Bookend Boutique."

"Very unique, yes," Lizzie agreed. "Is that fabric paint you used for the polka dots? That must've been very time-consuming. And not really the choice for professional wear… but it does add something of an artistic touch."

"What polka dots?" Apple asked, confused.

"21 coins leftover," Humphrey announced. "Hey, that's higher than Raven's! That means it's better, right?" His question went unanswered as the two other judges argued about whether or not there were polka dots on the outfit.

"Next - _Ashlynn Ella!"_

Cedar skittered off stage and was replaced by Ashlynn. She was wearing a complete outfit: a beige shirt, a brown collared vest, and camo-patterned slacks with several deep pockets and buttons. Everything looked expertly sewn, but it was strangely a few sizes too large for Ashlynn. She appeared uncomfortable as she made her way to the front of the stage.

"Um…" Apple was at loss for words. "It looks… practical?"

"It's a few sizes too big for her," Lizzie commented, "but otherwise the outfit looks perfectly made! By chance, did you sew this for someone else?"

"16 coins leftover," said Humphrey approvingly. "Not bad for a complete wardrobe."

Ashlynn carefully held her pants up as she left the spotlight.

"Next - _Cerise Hood!"_

Cerise walked carefully onto the stage, tugging her hood firmly over her head. Her green velvet cloak shimmered in the light, rimmed with tan-colored faux fur (the fur was slightly bunched up in different areas, but it wasn't very noticeable with all her movements). Cerise turned around a few times to show her back, letting the cloak fan out.

"Royally gorgeous!" Apple gushed, clapping her hands together. "I've never seen Cerise wear anything green before, but it really works!"

"Hmm…" Lizzie leaned in to look more closely. Cerise gulped visibly when she began silently writing on her paper, but then she looked up and smiled.

"10 coins leftover," said Humphrey. Cerise quickly paced back through the curtains once the judges were done.

"Next - _Duchess Swan!"_

Duchess strutted through the curtains with all the confidence of a model who no longer gave two cents about what she was wearing. Her dress looked a little bit stiff, and she had thrown every bit of unused material into her hair: feather, sequins - even the unused tulle was converted into a veil. She stopped at the judges and struck a ballet pose.

"Wow! This is different," said Apple, tilting her head and squinting. "It looks like one of those artistic, high-end royal fashion dresses. And - um, is her hair glittering?"

Lizzie just stared - a deep furrow was settling into her brow as her eyes fell on the various glued areas.

"Only 2 coins left on this one," Humphrey announced.

"Next - _C. A. Cupid!"_

Duchess waltzed off the stage as Cupid shyly poked her head out from the curtains. She took a deep breath and emerged wearing a cream cardigan with holes in that back for her wings and a matching cloth belt. Like Cedar, she was wearing the black bodysuit underneath. Her sewing was decidedly amateur, but the cardigan looked nice on her all the same.

"How charming," Apple said kindly. "I'm sure there's not a lot of clothes out there that are tailored for wings, huh?"

"The seams need work," Lizzie commented, scribbling on her paper. She continued to write and said nothing else.

"Only 8 coins leftover… just for a jacket?" said Humphrey. Cupid giggled sheepishly and inched back toward the curtains.

"Finally, our last contestant - _Madeline Hatter!"_

Maddie bounced into the spotlight, wearing… _something_ on her head. It resembled a large mushroom, lime-green with big white spots, except that it had two googly-eyes stuck on the base - the eyes swerved around in circles as she walked. Maddie stopped in front of the judge panel and waved, causing the eyes to swirl upward.

"Um…" Apple opened and closed her mouth several times, but she couldn't seem to form a statement. "…Uhm…"

"Did you use yarn for the threading?" Lizzie interjected, saving her judging partner from any further um-ing's. "What an interesting effect. The stitching looks very old-fashioned and classical for such an… unique garment."

"41 coins left - that's the highest number we've had! Although, er, it was kind of just for a hat."

When the judges finished grading Maddie, all seven contestants reappeared for a line-up on the stage with their outfits. Blondie walked out from the wings and clapped.

"Great job, girls!" she said cheerfully. She turned back toward the crowd with her microphone. "C'mon, guys, let's give them a hand!"

There was another roar of applause, this time including Apple, Lizzie, and Humphrey, who all stood up to join the ovation. After two minutes the cheering had settled down to a comfortable din, and the judges faced one another to compile the scores; another three minutes passed, this time with tense anticipation, as they worked in hushed whispers. Half of the contestants looked hopeful; the other half looked fearful.

When Apple raised her hand to give Blondie the final judgement, the entire room held its breath. The announcer took the paper and read it silently as she walked back to the microphone.

"Alright, the judges have come to a conclusion," Blondie's voiced echoed through the Charmitorium. "I sadly announce that the next contestant to leave Miss Ever After is…"

* * *

><p><strong>[VOTING PERIOD IS OVER FOR THIS CHAPTER]<strong>

**Please do not submit any more votes for this section! I will post the results in the next chapter. Once again, if you enjoyed this chapter, please give your kudos to ****LovelyLyrics297**** for coming up with the event! :D Otherwise, see you soon~!**

_other notes: Holy crap why are there so many new characters!? Like damn, I started this thing in the middle of the True Hearts Day saga! Anyways, I'll try to incorporate as many of these new additions into background roles in the following chapters._


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